The Pittsburgh Steelers had another big decision to make on March 24th, but they ultimately chose to visit QB Desmond Ridder instead of a big school.
Scheduling conflicts. They are a nightmare for NFL coaches and personnel as they try to plan which Pro Days to visit, but are very telling for people like me tracking a team’s offseason interest. If you have been following along over the past several weeks, it’s very easy to see what goal the Pittsburgh Steelers have in mind.
I assumed that Mike Tomlin and Kevin Colbert were going to target a quarterback in the 2022 NFL Draft, but I didn’t necessarily think they would do so at the cost of skipping out on Pro Days of some of the biggest college football programs in the nation.
Throughout the process, there have already been some pretty big scheduling conflicts that have forced Pittsburgh’s brass to choose between two major Pro Days. Where Tomlin goes, so does Colbert. These two have usually been aided by the presence of pro scouting coordinator, Brandon Hunt (as well as a few other scouts and coaches).
On March 21st, the Steelers chose to stay local and check out first-round QB prospect Kenny Pickett rather than go to Iowa (C Tyler Linderbaum), Nevada (QB Carson Strong), or Northern Iowa (OT Trevor Penning). Based on history, these players are no longer options for Pittsburgh in the NFL Draft.
On March 22nd, Tomlin and Colbert chose Liberty (Malik Willis) over Mississippi State (OT Charles Cross) or Texas A&M (OG Kenyon Green). However, these scheduling conflict was minor compared to what we have seen in even more recent days.
If you have been following along over the years, the Steelers brass rarely misses out on visiting Ohio State or Penn State for their Pro Days, as these schools are typically loaded with NFL talent. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what they did this week.
After skipping out on a chance to visit Ohio State on March 23rd, Pittsburgh’s top dogs missed their second-straight major Pro Day on March 24th — choosing a non-Power Five school at Cincinnati over Penn State.
The Nittany Lions are loaded with defensive players who could be taken in the first two days of the NFL Draft. While a few personnel members like Brian Flores and Jerry Olsavsky still made the trip, Tomlin, Colbert, and Hunt were busy checking out QB Desmond Ridder at his Pro Day.
Are Steelers making the right choices in their visits?
I give Colbert and his crew a lot of credit for putting in the work this offseason. They have been remarkably busy and are constantly on the road visiting the top quarterback prospects in the NFL Draft. However, I can’t say that I completely agree with their philosophy.
While they have got to meet with all of the top QB prospects personally as well as scope them out first-hand during their Pro Day workouts, Pittsburgh’s brass is essentially ignoring all other positions and prospects who should be options at pick 20.
This list is already incredibly lengthy — including many of the names mentioned above in addition to players like WR Chris Olave, WR Garrett Wilson, and several more who are projected to be drafted in the mid-first round this year.
Knowing that the Steelers are incredibly likely to take a quarterback, I obviously want them to get the right guy. However, I have said from the beginning that I’m not fond of this QB class, and perhaps the best option is to not take a quarterback at all this year.
I know it’s hard to be patient when it comes to looking for a franchise QB (undoubtedly the most important position in football). But I think it’s better to wait a year or two (if need be) in order to make sure you draft an elite prospect rather than rolling the dice in the first round on quarterbacks who have second-round grades by most.
The Steelers have now visited four of the top five quarterbacks at their Pro Days, and this will be a perfect five out of five when they go to UNC to visit Sam Howell on March 28th. After ignoring so many other talented prospects this year, let’s hope they find the right signal-caller who can lead this team to success in the future.