The Steelers top-five most likely first round draft choices in 2022

Desmond Ridder, QB, Cincinnati

Chances of being drafted by the Steelers: 15.14%

Ridder’s projection here at number 3 is slightly quirky. Even though his odds are 15%, his chance actually exceeds that a bit, even though two players rank higher than Ridder.

Here’s why. Whereas most of the time, the Steelers stayed number 20 and drafted Ridder. If one assumes Pittsburgh does not trade up in any capacity, Ridder’s percentage jumps up to nearly 20%. Keep that number in mind once we get to the number one spot.

Also, there is another fascinating quirk about Ridder. As a draft prospect, Ridder only has a 39.43% chance of being drafted in the first round; thus, in 350 mock drafts, he only got selected 138 times. However, in those 138 drafts, the Steelers selected him 53 times. So if Ridder does get drafted, the likelihood of him going Pittsburgh Steelers improves to 38.40%.

Ridder may be the best option for the Steelers in terms of him being available and not having to trade for a quarterback. Plus he’s that intermediate solution. Ridder can use his mobility when needed, even though he won’t burn you like Malix Willis or Corrall to a lesser degree. Nonetheless, he could be quite capable of running the offense as Matt Canada would like.