The Super Bowl has finally come and gone, and now everyone around the league has officially turned their focus to the offseason. This is going to include mock drafts by pretty much every media outlet around the country, including SteelerNation.
There is no doubt heading into the offseason that the Pittsburgh Steelers have several holes to fill, and while they have more cap space than they normally do to sign free agents, a lot of emphasis will be put on the 2022 NFL Draft where they will be picking at 20th overall on opening night.
One of their holes, and arguably their biggest, is the quarterback position now that future Hall Of Famer Ben Roethlisberger has retired. In the most recent mock draft put out by NFL.com, they have the Steelers giving up some significant draft capital in a trade with the New York Jets. They move up to 10th overall by giving away their 2022 1st, 2023 1st, and a 2022 3rd round pick.
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They do all this in order to select their quarterback of the future Ken.... I mean Mali.... no.... Sam Howell?? Here is their full write-up.
Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert is stepping down after the draft. I suspect he'll make his best effort to acquire the team's future starting QB before he departs. Trading up for Howell would cost the Steelers their 2023 first-round pick and one of their third-rounders this year. Howell's production was down in 2021, but he showed the same leadership, arm strength and gumption during the Senior Bowl that was on display over the past three years at North Carolina.
Well, I can safely say that when I saw the Steelers trading up to 10th overall, I didn't expect Howell to be the selection.
I have several issues with this selection. First of all, NFL.com is wrong assuming that they can trade "one of their third-rounders this year." It was originally thought the Steelers would get a 3rd round compensatory pick, but now it looks like that will in fact be a 4th round compensatory pick. Making giving up a 3rd round pick much more costly.
Next, if you're trading up that high for a QB and giving up that much draft capital, they need to be a starter early in their career. Howell just simply isn't that at this point. We will be releasing his draft profile in the near future, but the short story is he has the physical tools but not the polish. Howell has a great arm and decent athleticism, but he lacks the consistent accuracy, ability to consistently work through his progression, and is on the smaller side for a QB.
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On top of the points I already mentioned, this is also a lackluster QB class compared to last year's and next year's on paper. If you're going to be giving up this much capital, do it next season when you expect to have blue chip prospects CJ Stroud or Bryce Young available. On top of them, you have several wild cards in Will Levis, Phil Jerkovec, etc. There is no need to rush it in this draft and throw away future draft picks.
Finally, the team would still have several holes to fill after doing this. It isn't like they are a QB away from the Super Bowl right now.
This mock starts off making absolutely no sense. It is a shame because in the 2nd round, they have them selecting OT Darian Kinnard from Kentucky and with their 3rd round compensatory pick (that they probably won't have) selecting S Bryan Cook from Cincinnati. Both players I wouldn't mind.
Needless to say, mock draft season is upon us and I am sure this won't be the last one that can have holes poked through it with ease. This also isn't meant to come off as a Howell slander article as he could be a fine NFL QB, but the way NFL.com went about getting him on the Steelers is awful.
Let us know below what you think of NFL.com's attempt at a mock draft!
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