PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – You can make the wager, odds are the Steelers will draft a quarterback in the first round on Thursday. Head coach Mike Tomlin even said they are talking about quarterback this year like they did running back last season. They drafted Najee Harris in the first round.
Let’s go with the Steelers drafting a quarterback 20th overall. Let’s also set the variable any one of the seven they brought in for an in-person interview is available.
What qualities are Mike Tomlin looking for?
“I think that is the ultimate competitor's position,” Tomlin said. “Those that run to and not from competition, those that embrace competition and the intensity of it, and the anxiety maybe associated with it, I think they have a leg up.”
“Obviously, there are some pedigree-related things per the position, arm strength and accuracy. That's evident. Either it's present or it's not. The intangible quality associated with competition I think is something that's valuable.”
Who best fits that mentality?
We’ve seen the leadership and courage from Pickett first hand over his time at Pitt. His ability to lead and rise to big moments is proven in a Panthers first ACC Championship.
One of the first strength traits about North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell is his confidence, his willingness to step into the big moments since his freshman year.
Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral ‘plays with an abundance of confidence and heart’ according to NFL.com.
It’s easy to see how hard Malik Willis runs, willing to initiate contact to get a first down.
There is no doubt the command Desmond Ridder plays with, along with the enthusiasm. He helped will a non-Power 5 into the college football playoffs.
Realistically you don’t climb to be a Division 1 starting quarterback without having not only the willingness to compete, but to be able to handle pressure. To figure out at what levels they do, Colbert said either he or Steelers scouts saw every quarterback play in person at least twice with some as many as seven times.
“We've seen them live so you try to judge that based on how they appear in a game, in a stadium, on the sidelines talking to their teammates, talking to their coaches,” Colbert said. “We follow that up with those individual interviews, and Coach and his staff will ask them certain questions.”
“You're coming from a small media market, Pittsburgh is a small town, but this is a big football environment, how do you anticipate this. Some of these guys have never been this far east. That was kind of enlightening.”
“I think that's why we laid out such a comprehensive process in an effort to gather as much information and get to know these guys as well as we could because some of the things you suggested are not football related, but personality related,” Tomlin said. “Some people are introverted, extroverted, and settings such as this are draining for them, etc. So for us, it was, yes, getting to know them as players, but just as significant a component of it, particularly as it
pertains to some of the things that you suggest, was getting to know them as young people as well.”
Colbert promises the team won’t reach for a quarterback calling that a huge mistake.
“I know I feel good about the process,” Colbert said. “Coach and I met more with that position than we have (in previous years) and we spent time with them. Our offensive coaches, Coach [Mike] Sullivan, Coach [Matt] Canada, they spent more time with individual meetings. And look, quarterback is the most critical position in our sport, and we have to get that right. Could we add somebody? Yes. Could we start the season without adding anybody? Yes. And we'll see where it all goes.
“I enjoy the process of having heightened urgency for a position,” Tomlin said. “Seemed like a year ago we chopped up the running backs in a similar way. I know that the process we've gone through in terms of getting to know the quarterback pool is getting some attention, but it's not an irregular process for us in terms of locking in and getting a feel for a certain pool within the pool, if you will.”
Tomlin added they had as many interactions with the players as they could. They’ve worked hard to gain a complete understanding of who they are as people and as players.
Finally, by Thursday evening, we will know their conclusions.