Steelers could go with a surprise QB at pick 20 in the NFL Draft

The Pittsburgh Steelers are likely to select a quarterback, but here’s why it could be a player who hasn’t been linked to the team as often as others.

If you have been following along all offseason, then you already know that the Pittsburgh Steelers have their sights set on a quarterback early in the 2022 NFL Draft. This isn’t a smokescreen — Mike Tomlin doesn’t play those games — this is real.

It’s not hard to make sense of either. Though I could argue day and night that there isn’t a quarterback that should be taken in the first round this year, it doesn’t mean that the Steelers don’t have enough interest to roll the dice for a franchise QB.

There have a been a few names who have been linked to Pittsburgh throughout the process. The most frequent is Malik Willis. Tomlin and Kevin Colbert have done a poor job this offseason of hiding their infatuation with Willis, and trading up for him is not out of the question.

Kenny Pickett has also been linked to the Steelers often thanks to his connection with the city of Pittsburgh. However, both Pickett and Willis are now slated to be selected ahead of Pittsburgh.

Matt Corral and Sam Howell are the next in line of frequently mocked quarterbacks to the Steelers, and it’s not hard to see how these two players would fit the description of what Matt Canada is looking for in a signal-caller for his offense.

However, one quarterback who hasn’t been linked to Pittsburgh as often is Cincinnati’s, Desmond Ridder. Ridder is coming from a successful non-Power Five football program and wasn’t a high recruit entering college.

In addition, he doesn’t have the same arm talent or big-play ability that some of these other quarterbacks have. But that doesn’t mean he isn’t on Pittsburgh’s draft radar. In fact, he seems to be gaining steam in connection to the Steelers.

After Tomlin and Colbert made an evening trip from Mississippi to Cincinnati to catch Ridder for a dinner meeting, the QB has been on the map. Now he seems just as likely as any option if the Steelers stand pat at pick 20.

Ian Rapaport of NFL Network recently reported that Ridder is now flying to Pittsburgh on Wednesday night to visit the Steelers at their facility. This is multiple times the Steelers brass has met with the Cincinnati QB this offseason, and he seems to be a strong candidate to be selected in the first round of the NFL Draft:

One thing the Steelers haven’t done this offseason is shown favoritism to just one or two quarterbacks. They have now had multiple meetings with each of the top five QB prospects in the 2022 NFL Draft, and one of them is likely to become their pick in the first round. Now the question becomes: which one will it be?

Which QB will the Steelers select?

I’m not ruling out the possibility of Pittsburgh going with another position in the first round… but I’d say it’s very unlikely at this point. Based on their visits, it looks like the defensive back is the only other position even on their radar at pick 20.

Now that we are pretty confident the pick is going to be a quarterback, we will try to narrow down which one it will be. Odds would suggest that Malik Willis is most likely to be the first QB drafted — meaning the Steelers would either have to move up very high into the draft or be content with letting another team snag him. Likewise, Kenny Pickett is projected to go in the top-10 picks as well.

If the Steelers stay at pick 20, it could very well come down to a decision between Matt Corral, Sam Howell, and Desmond Ridder. Deciphering who they would choose between these three is a major challenge in itself.

With Ridder and Howell now getting in-house visits from Pittsburgh, they should be considered strong candidates just like all the other top quarterbacks this year. This decision could come down to preference, and I certainly can’t rule Ridder out.

If the Steelers are looking for a flashy player with a big arm, there are better options than Ridder. However, the Cincinnati product could offer a higher floor and more pro-readiness than the other QB prospects in this class. If Pittsburgh values these traits — along with his excellent leadership — Ridder could become the pick in the first round.

We still have a few weeks to try to figure things out, but with all of the top five quarterbacks each receiving the same amount of offseason visits and meetings, it’s going to be really hard to narrow down who the selection will be on draft day.