Joe Sargent/Getty Images Head coach Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers looks on during pregame warm-ups at Heinz Field on December 5, 2021.
The conventional wisdom is that the Pittsburgh Steelers are going to draft their quarterback of the future come Thursday April 28, and that they are going to trade up in the first round to get their man. Never mind that Steelers insiders have mostly dismissed that line of thinking, including Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, who recently said he expects the Steelers to wait until Day 3 of the draft to address the quarterback position.
Bill Barnwell Proposes Sending 2 First-Round Picks to the New York Giants
But if the Steelers really do fancy a particular quarterback in this year’s draft, they might very well need to trade up to get him, as there are a handful of QB needy teams ahead of them in the pecking order, beginning with the Carolina Panthers at No. 6 overall. That explains why ESPN staff writer Bill Barnwell has proposed a trade that has the Steelers sending the No. 20 overall pick and their first-rounder in 2023 to the New York Giants for the No. 7 overall selection.
That would put the Steelers in position to select just about any quarterback in this draft, with the possible exception of whomever the Panthers might prefer. That includes the likes of Liberty’s Malik Willis, who has been closely linked to the Steelers ever since the conclusion of the Senior Bowl, not to mention Kenny Pickett, who played his college ball for the Pitt Panthers. Other candidates also include Mississippi’s Matt Corral and Cincinnati’s Desmond Ridder.
On the other hand, if the Steelers wait until the later rounds to select a QB, options include everyone from South Dakota State’s Chris Oladokun to Hec Crighton Trophy Winner Tre Ford, who played his college football at the University of Waterloo.
Regardless, it seems almost inevitable that the Steelers will select a quarterback at some point during the forthcoming draft. General manager Kevin Colbert has already proclaimed: “We will go to camp with four,” and there are few remaining options in terms of veteran free agents, with former No. 10 overall pick Josh Rosen among the best of those options.
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A ‘Smaller Move’ to Jump Ahead of the Saints
Barnwell also conceives of a scenario where quarterbacks don’t come off the board early and the Steelers make a “smaller move” to get ahead of the New Orleans Saints, a team that currently holds the No. 16 and No. 19 overall picks and is in need of a quarterback.
To accomplish that, the Steelers ship the No. 20 overall pick and a 2023 second-rounder to the Philadelphia Eagles, in return for the No. 15 overall selection and JJ Arcega-Whiteside, a 2019 second-round pick out of Stanford who has just 16 receptions for 290 yards and one touchdown in his first three NFL seasons.
But the Steelers don’t necessarily need another depth wide receiver whose focus will likely be on special teams, not since they claimed former Ravens receiver Miles Boykin earlier this week.
Anyway, Arcega-Whiteside — listed at 6-foot-2 and 225 pounds — is making a position switch. According to Jeff McClane of the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Zaragoza, Spain native has put on weight this offseason in anticipation of a move to tight end, where he can better utilize his blocking ability.
In the meantime, the Steelers have a pretty well-established pecking order at tight end, with 2021 second-round pick Pat Freiermuth the projected starter, backed up by Zach Gentry, Kevin Rader and Jace Sternberger.
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