The Steelers want a quarterback desperately in this draft, but these teams could take their guy before they get a shot at him.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have not shied away from tipping their cap on their draft intentions. They want a quarterback in the early rounds and they have been on the pro day circuit to express their interest. They have dined and spoken to most of the top prospects in this class of 2022.
The biggest hurdle for the black and gold will be the number of teams that also share the problem of needing a long-term answer at the quarterback position. There are some obvious teams that will take a deep dive into this position leading up to the draft. There could also be some surprising clubs that target a signal-caller earlier as well.
Honorable mentions
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints seem like they could be out of the quarterback market after they signed Andy Dalton onto the team and re-signed Jameis Winston as well. That seems like they have most of the positional group figured out, but they could always draft a rookie still. It could be a good situation for one of these rookies to go into as they could learn and develop behind veteran players.
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are a team that have not been highly involved in the quarterback conversations in regards to this draft. They just traded away Deshaun Watson, but Davis Mills is still there. Mills was the starter for the majority of last year and seemed to get better as the season went along. He will likely be the starter for the Texans for another year before they take another starter in the 2023 draft.
The Washington Commanders draft a quarterback
The Washington Commanders enter a new era with a new brand. They changed their names from the Washington Football Team to the Washington Commanders. That name has drawn different opinions from across the nation, but a new era brings a new opportunity to relevancy.
This club traded a couple of day two picks to acquire Carson Wentz from the Indianapolis Colts. It was a big pick-up that brings in a risk it all signal-caller that is a player who is starting to lose relevance in the league. This seems like his last true shot at having a starting role in the NFL before he is stuck behind someone as a backup.
This franchise has been trying to get back into the winning column for a while now and they need to figure out the quarterback position. Wentz is a gamble, but it could pay off in the long run. Drafting a rookie at the position will be in consideration at pick 11 if one falls to them.
Washington has sent personnel to some of the top prospect’s pro days just like the Steelers have been doing. Sitting at pick 11 seems like one of the top two prospects could fall to them, but they still might need to jump a few other teams to secure one. They showed a ton of interest in Kenny Pickett, but he would be a starter on day one.
The Seattle Seahawks could draft a quarterback
The Seattle Seahawks might be one of the most quarterback-needy teams in the entire draft. They don’t really have a starting option besides Drew Lock at the position currently. It is a completely new era for the Hawks as they made a league altering trade earlier this offseason.
Russel Wilson was traded from Seattle to the Denver Broncos for a massive trade haul that included multiple roster players and draft picks going to the Seahawks. It was a type of trade that the NFL hasn’t seen much in the history of the game. Now there is a giant hole to fill for this team as they enter a rebuilding phase.
It was the right move for the franchise, and they couldn’t turn down that trade deal. They have a ton of holes to fill, and they hold the ninth overall pick in the draft. The Steelers should be worried about what Seattle will do in the draft, but they might not need to be as concerned about them as other teams.
There are too many holes to fill for this club to go out and take a quarterback this early on in their rebuilding process. They need to find starters in so many areas that they should steer clear of a quarterback, unless Malik Willis or Kenny Pickett fall to them. They are an interesting option for a signal-caller, but it doesn’t seem like an option this year.
The Atlanta Falcons could draft a quarterback
The Atlanta Falcons are another team in desperate need of a quarterback, just like the Seahawks are. They traded away their franchise quarterback, Matt Ryan recently. He was sent to the Indianapolis Colts for some draft picks after missing out on the Deshaun Watson sweepstakes.
Once all those situations played out, the Falcons turned around and signed Marcus Mariota to a contract. He will get a chance to become a starter in the NFL after backing up Derek Carr with the Las Vegas Raiders. It will probably be his last real shot at making a starter for himself in this league.
Now with some extra picks in the fold and the eighth overall pick, this could be a legit spot for a quarterback to fall. They also have extra picks to trade up a couple of spots to get into place to select a player like Malik Willis if they so choose to do so. There are other options that this team could look at as their roster has a lot of holes to fill.
They have been scouting the quarterbacks in this class and watching them closely in the pre-draft process. They do need other playmakers at different positions, and one could be at receiver. Many do not see them as a threat of taking a signal-caller from the Steelers in this draft, but they need one. Mariota needs competition and they currently lack that. Drafting a quarterback on day one or two seems like a fair bet for this team.
The Carolina Panthers could draft a quarterback
The Carolina Panthers could be someone many Steelers fans will watch closely when it comes to potential landing spots for a quarterback to go. Their top brass has been going to each top-level pro day for the position and they seem primed to take one with the sixth pick. Their head coach is entering the last chance year for himself to prove what he can do in this league.
That will cause desperation and taking a quarterback seems to go hand in hand in those instances. Kenny Pickett seems like their “guy” in this class. He has all the tools and everything that you want in a signal-caller. This club has options with starting experience, with Sam Darnold leading that charge.
They gave up a good number of draft picks to trade for Darnold just a season ago, but he hasn’t worked out too well. Bringing in a guy to immediately compete for the starting spot seems to be high up on the to-do list for the Panthers. Jobs are on the line here and they will gamble on one of these young prospects that will hopefully turn into winning performances on Sundays.
The Steelers seem like they will need to go into the top five selections if they truly want Malik Willis or Kenny Pickett. If every team stays the same before the Panthers pick, then it seems like six will be where the dominos start to fall. This seems almost a lock to be a quarterback and it would be surprising if it was another position come draft day.
The Detroit Lions could draft a quarterback
The Detroit Lions are a team that has been rebuilding for what seems to be since the start of the franchise. They are again in the rebuilding phase now as they look to improve their roster through the draft process. They already have a veteran quarterback that costs a lot of money in Jared Goff.
He is not the worst option in the league and is someone that will probably help this club overachieve in the mediocre department for at least the next few seasons. They need to build a roster that will help a young quarterback and Goff being there will help to stop from rushing a rookie to start is another benefit.
Many experts have not really mocked a quarterback to the Lions with the second overall pick, but it could happen. Steelers fans would despise this idea as that would take them out of the running for one of the top two prospects at the position. This might happen, but Detroit needs to improve many positions besides quarterback.
They need to focus on the defensive side of the ball and that will likely be the pick with the second choice of the draft. They also need to find other players across their roster that needs upgrading as they continue to try and build a winning culture. They do have pick 32 of the first round and could pick a rookie signal-caller then. It will be interesting to see what they do, but if you want the Steelers to pick a quarterback, you better hope the Lions don’t pick a QB at selection two overall.
The Steelers will target a quarterback early in the draft and they might need to trade up to get their guy. There are too many quarterback-needy teams for them to just sit and wait at pick 20.