The Steelers Must Use A Late-Round Pick In The Draft To Find Their QB2

The Pittsburgh Steelers are heading into the 2023 off-season one year removed from their decision to draft former Pitt Panthers quarterback Kenny Pickett in the first round of last year's draft. Although the season was far from sunshine and rainbows for the Steelers, they seemed to have found their future franchise quarterback in Pittsburgh. 

With cap space possibly being an issue for the Steelers barring some of the decisions they decide to make, they could very well find themselves in the quarterback market again in the later rounds of this season's upcoming draft. With backup quarterback, Mitch Trubisky set to have a cap hit of around $11 million next season, it is all but evident the Steelers will part ways with him this off-season to free up cap space. 

Trubisky isn't the only quarterback on the roster that will likely have a new home come 2023, veteran backup Mason Rudolph will probably be moving on as well. Rudolph is set to be a free agent and with plenty of drama and media scrutiny, Rudolph deserves better than what Pittsburgh has given him and a fresh start will do him well.

Both of these moves leave the Steelers with two likely vacant positions at quarterback heading into next season. I expect the Steelers to sign another veteran to a team-friendly deal this off-season. Names such as Jacoby Brissett have already begun forming in the rumor mill as potential targets for the Steelers to land. 

Whether the Steelers decide to either sign a veteran free agent or trade for a backup, they will still need to look to this year's draft to find an answer at the third-string roster spot. Spending a late-round pick on a backup quarterback paid dividends for the San Fransisco 49ers when they selected Brock Purdy out of Iowa State with the final pick in last year's draft. Purdy went on to lead the injury-plagued 49ers all the way to the NFC Championship and showed the NFL that Mr. Irrelavant was in fact, relevant in 2022. 

I believe the Steelers need to take the same approach again this year as they did in last year's draft when they selected Chris Oladokun out of South Dakota State University in the seventh round. Oladokun, unfortunately, didn't make it far into the preseason and was eventually cut by the Steelers. 

If the Steelers do in fact use the draft to pick up a quarterback, the circumstances for the rookie will be quite different in 2023 than in years past. He will come into OTAs and training camp with the third-string job essentially his to lose. If the Steelers don't end up signing a veteran during free agency, there is a good chance that the rookie could end up being the backup quarterback for Pickett for many years to come. 

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Which Round Should The Steelers Look For A Quarterback In The '23 NFL Draft?

It's no secret that the Steelers have many needs going into this year's draft. Not only do they have needs on both sides of the ball, but drafting a backup quarterback is something that is extremely low, if not at the bottom of the list. But as we've seen throughout the NFL over the last handful of seasons, having a competent option at backup quarterback can sometimes make or break a team's season. 

When looking at the Steelers' draft position and the current state of the depth chart heading into this off-season, I would like to see them use their fourth-round pick on a backup quarterback. At first glance, the fourth round seems early, but this will still be the Steelers' fifth selection of the draft and they need to make sure that they draft the best 'backup caliber' college quarterback in case they need to turn to him at any point in the season. 

What do you think? Should the Steelers try and find Pickett's backup in this year's draft? Or should they try and find two veteran options for 2023? Tell us your thoughts in the comment section below!

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