Today the Pittsburgh Steelers held their annual pre-draft press conference. It was the first time seeing head coach Mike Tomlin, and general manager Kevin Colbert since they completed all of their pre-draft visits with their targeted prospects.
The most pressing need for the Steelers is to get a new franchise quarterback. Yes, they signed Mitchell Trubisky, and at one point the Chicago Bears believed that he was their next franchise quarterback, but he wasn't. Is it still possible for him to become a solid starter for the Steelers? Yes. But the odds aren't in his favor, or the Steelers. It took them 20+ years to find the replacement for Terry Bradshaw. If they didn't pass on Dan Marino in 1983 then maybe that gap wouldn't of been there. But that's a story for another day.
Mike Tomlin chops it up with Liberty QB Malik Willis
Colbert said that the team as a whole felt good about the process. The Steelers brought in 7 different quarterbacks for top 30 meetings in Pittsburgh. Kenny Pickett, Malik Willis, Carson Strong, Matt Corral, Sam Howell, Chris Oladokun, and Desmond Ridder. They also personally took several of them out to dinner the night before their Pro Days, and talked to a few of them at the Senior Bowl. The due diligence hasn't been overlooked from anyone.
"I felt good about the process, again coach and I met more with that position [quarterback] then we have as I reference earlier. And then you know we spent time with them, our offensive coaches, coach Sullivan, coach Canada they spent more time with individual meetings."
"Quarterback is the most critical position in our sport," Colbert said. "We have to get that right." Could we add somebody? Yes. Could we start the season without adding anybody? Yes. We will see where it all goes.
An interesting sound bite came from Tomlin as he compared what the Steelers have done this off-season to what they did last off-season when it came to the running backs.
"I enjoy the process of having a heightened urgency for a position," Tomlin said during the press conference. "It seems like a year ago we really chopped up the running backs in a similar way. So, um, I know that the process that we've gone through in terms of getting to know the quarterback pool has gained some attention, but it's not an irregular process for us in terms of you know locking in and getting a feel for a certain pool within the pool if you will.
The Steelers ultimately chose running back Najee Harris with their first pick, and everyone knew that they loved Harris from the jump. He was widely considered the best running back in the 2021 class, and they wanted him badly. If you look at this off-season the guy that fits that bill is Malik Willis. Tomlin has gushed over him since the Senior Bowl, and many outlets at the time said the worst kept secret in sports was how much the Steelers wanted Willis.
Steelers Tomlin Answers Question On Dwayne Haskins
The first question from a reporter was about Dwayne Haskins. Tomlin was asked whether the Steelers would change their draft plans due to the tragic death of Haskins. And as always Tomlin addressed it in the right manner.
"In regards to Dwayne, our energies have been to paying proper respect to his family. We don't approach that from a business decision-making standpoint. That's the appropriate mindset to have."
Pittsburgh Steelers NFL football team President Art Rooney II, left, General Manger Kevin Colbert, center, and head coach Mike Tomlin, right, attend the memorial service for Dwayne Haskins, Friday, April 22, 2022, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)
