As news surrounding free agency slows down, most people in Pittsburgh will turn their attention to the NFL draft. The Steelers remain waiting on Aaron Rodgers's decision, as the free agent is taking his time. It appears that Omar Khan is pulling for Rodgers to sign with the team, and they are the favorites to land the future Hall of Famer.
No matter what happens with Rodgers, Mike Tomlin will demand the organization take a young quarterback in the upcoming draft. They traded away their second-round pick to acquire DK Metcalf earlier in the offseason, so it's hard to imagine them targeting someone in the first round. It's a weak crop of incoming rookie signal-callers, but that hasn't stopped them from drafting one early.
No one will ever forget the travesty of the Kenny Pickett era after the Steelers took him as the only quarterback in the top round of the infamous 2022 NFL draft. Pickett was a dud, and many scouts believe this group of quarterbacks could be similar to that year.
You'd think Tomlin would've learned from his prior mistake with Pickett, but the Steelers could be willing to take another gamble.
The Pittsburgh Steelers' latest dinner meeting with Jalen Milroe exposes their QB desperation
NFL insider Tom Pelissero reported that the Steelers sent the top brass to meet with Jalen Milroe the night before his Pro Day. Tomlin, Khan, and others dined with the Alabama product. That speaks volumes when you look at prior draft targets for The Black and Gold. If they eat dinner with a prospect, it exposes their mounds of interest in a player.
Milroe comes out of Alabama after holding the starting job for the past two seasons. Most scouts believed he could've been a top pick going into this past year, but his inconsistencies have tanked his draft stock. He went from a possible first-round selection to a mid-round talent. A poor pre-draft process has only hampered his draft stock further. He could have a significant drop-off.
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Many draft evaluators believe Milroe could still go as early as the third round, which should be out of consideration for Pittsburgh to take him. Ideally, they would see him slip until the later rounds. The later they could use a pick on Milroe would provide a better gamble. He hasn't shown he is worth a top pick yet.
This could evolve into another disaster if the Steelers aren't careful.
Tomlin and Khan have to be cautious about how they evaluate Milroe. He has wonderful tools to work with. There is a bounty of issues that need to be fixed. If they sign Rodgers, maybe they can have him aid in Milroe's development at the next level.
This Alabama product might be enticing, but the Steelers should only consider him between rounds four and seven if he slides that far.