If the Pittsburgh Steelers want to exhaust their first-round pick on a quarterback, they might not need to move up in order to get their guy.
With their first pick at 20th overall, staying put could be a gamble. But for NFL Draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah, it’s plausible that the Steelers could not trade up and still have their pick of any quarterback prospect.
There’s no sure-thing pick at quarterback this season. Malik Willis, thought to be the best option, might be a bit of a project but has tantalizing upside. Kenny Pickett, also a potential first-round option, seems like a high-floor but low-ceiling option.
Because of the uncertainty, no one knows where any of the quarterbacks will go – and some don’t have first-round grades on any of them. The Lions at No. 2 have been linked to some of the quarterbacks, but they’ve had far more rumored interest in an edge rusher at that spot. The Carolina Panthers at No. 6 seem most likely to select a quarterback, but that’s no sure thing.
At that point, you’re thinking of an off-the-wall option. Maybe the Giants pull off a stunner and begin to force out Daniel Jones, or the Atlanta Falcons go with Pickett or Willis. Any team that reasonably could pick a quarterback in front of the Steelers also has enough other needs that they could hold off.
“I think – look at Carolina, much documented about them being the quarterback space, they've been at every single one of these workouts," Jeremiah said during an appearance on "Pardon My Take." So that would be the high part, I know some people have mentioned potentially Detroit too, there’s just no way. I just can’t see them doing that.
“So, I would start it at Carolina at six, as we get closer to the draft I don’t think they’re going to do that, but that’s the highest place (a quarterback) could go. I think there’s a chance we could see Pittsburgh have all the quarterbacks on the board when they pick at 20 and they can kind of pick whoever they want there."
In response to Ben Roethlisberger retiring, the Steelers signed Mitchell Trubisky to a two-year deal. Perhaps he responds to the opportunity by reigniting his NFL career, or he could be someone to keep the seat warm while Pittsburgh waits for, say, Willis, to blossom.
Because they have their quarterback situation technically figured out for the next two seasons, the Steelers don’t need to draft a quarterback this year. But if Willis or Pickett falls to them in the back half of the first round, they might find it impossible to pass on one of them.
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