The Steelers seem set on addressing certain needs in the 2022 NFL Draft, but they can’t make these mistakes.
The Steelers are going into the draft targeting a quarterback and they have made it obvious. They have not gone away from making this a top priority to bring onto the team. The biggest question will be if they will sit until their first-round pick or trade up.
A lot of things are going to happen between now and the start of the NFL draft. There will be many different rumors and rumblings that are reported before the clock begins to even tick down on the first overall pick. There are still many different situations that can play out before the event starts.
Free agency is still ongoing and could always provide some fireworks if a team doesn’t get a free agent that they want. Some players on the open market take their time with the decisions that they make before signing. Those dominos will fall and that will change different draft priorities for teams between now and then.
Free agency is normally the biggest issue for teams during the offseason, but the draft can pose some major issues. Desperate times call for desperate measures, but the Steelers normally find a way to sticking to their guns. Finding a new quarterback to take over for a retired Ben Roethlisberger could have the fans watch something they rarely see done.
Kevin Colbert and Mike Tomlin will try to be as aggressive as possible through this draft to stay relevant in the ultra-competitive AFC North division. They need to steer clear of these mistakes that they could be flirting with when their time to select in the first round and beyond comes. It is an exciting and scary time for Pittsburgh as they head into the future.
Don’t get desperate to draft a specific player
Quarterback is the major focus heading into the draft, and many believe that the franchise is falling in love with certain prospects. The issue isn’t having an affinity with those prospects, it’s finding any way possible to get that player. Desperation creates one of the toughest things in sports and the want to get back into relevance is a tricky area to navigate.
The Steelers are reportedly focused on Malik Willis, despite him being projected to go in the top ten. There are many different teams that seem enthralled with the product coming out of Liberty. It would take a hefty price to jump up into the top ten for this club and it can’t happen.
Trades and different prices to move up in the draft are all over the place and it varies on price points. It all depends on who you are negotiating with and what kind of players they are targeting. The only way a trade-up makes sense is if it works for both sides.
Pittsburgh cannot afford to get desperate enough to pay those hefty prices for options that might not turn this team around. They have been struggling in different areas and they need to focus on the entire roster and not put blinders on. This franchise has stuck to certain guidelines for many years, and it will be the smart move to stay the course.
Don’t stray away from drafting the best player available
Drafting the best player available has been a mantra that the Steelers have followed for many years. That seems to be changing over time as the club seems to be targeting some needs in recent drafts. The club wanted to go all in and getting aggressive seemed to be the right choice at that time.
Bad teams only get better if they get the best talent that is dropped to them. That is normally what the franchise has done and that has led to lots of success. Getting desperate and just filling a roster spot on your team has not done well for the more inconsistent teams in the NFL.
Going after the best player available might be the best option for the Steelers in the first round. Overreaching for a quarterback or another position of need will not be the best thought process. Going into the event and providing quality players to a team that has not been a top contender over the last couple of seasons needs to be a focus.
There will be good players at pick 20, especially if there are clubs that get desperate and move up for a quarterback. Pittsburgh needs to see who falls to them and take it from there. Going into the draft and just waiting to take the top quarterback left on the board is something that cannot happen unless you truly believe that player is a franchise-altering talent.
Don’t forget the need to get more skill and youth in the trenches
The defensive line had one of the worst seasons in a long time. That could be attributed to both Stephon Tuitt and Tyson Alualu being out for the entire year. With both potentially returning, this issue of struggling against the run will start to dissipate.
Bringing them back will be an immediate fix for this defense, but it will also need to start looking for the future. The defensive line has not been invested in for a while now and they are getting older. Adding a player in the earlier portions of the draft should be a target for the black and gold in 2022.
The offensive trenches cannot be forgotten about either, but it seems like it won’t be a target early on. The team added some talent in free agency and took away some starting needs. There are still question marks across the offensive line, both at the starting spots and depth.
Mason Cole and James Daniels will provide stability at the interior of the offensive line, but tackle, center, and guard have some issues. Cole and Kendrick Green are still not slam dunks at the starting spots and that could cause issues. If an offensive tackle, center, or guard falls to the club then they need to seriously consider one.
Don’t give up too many assets to trade up for a quarterback
There is going to be movement in the first round like every draft that has come before. Clubs will trade up to get the chance of picking their favorite prospect. That shuffle of picks will cause chaos and potentially some major hauls of draft selections to trade up when a team wants to.
Malik Willis is the target for the Steelers, but that is going to cost an arm and a leg to move up. This is going to be a major gamble if they truly want to get Willis on this team. This club is entering uncharted waters in 2022 and they have a tough schedule ahead of them.
Giving up the farm to get a player like this would have to be a guaranteed franchise player at the signal calling position. None of these quarterbacks are that in the eyes of most, but if the franchise believes that he is then they will go get him. The price could differentiate as many will try to leapfrog over each other and get into position to take this player.
Pittsburgh already has limited draft capital heading into both this event and next years. Trading up into the top ten would likely cost your first this year and next year, plus two second-rounders. It is going to take a lot of creativity to get into position for a player like this ending up in black and gold.
Don’t believe that this team is a Super Bowl contenders
The biggest hurdle to reality is noticing where you realistically are at the time. There is very little chance that this team has any hope of competing for a Super Bowl in 2022. They still have good players, but there are too many uncertainties to honestly believe they have a shot right now.
The Steelers are a storied franchise that are coming off many decades of success. Rebuilding is not a pretty thing, and the club wants to stay away from that word. It will take some time before the franchise can move forward and get back to the playoffs and truly field a great team.
All it takes to turn things around is a great quarterback and some decent supporting cast options, the Cincinnati Bengals are a perfect example of that. This team is not there, they don’t have a Joe Burrow to choose from in this draft class. Malik Willis has tremendous upside, but that will take time to develop before it shows up on Sundays.
Realizing their situation of being in one of the toughest divisions in the NFL and getting another grueling schedule needs to be on the mind of Pittsburgh. They cannot afford to think they are a quarterback away and believe one of these options are that guy to take them to the next level. Most of these prospects will need time to develop and learn the game before they have a chance to positively impact the game.
The Steelers can become a contending team soon if they play their cards right. it could take a couple seasons, but they need to avoid these mistakes to get back on track.