Ronald Martinez/Getty Images Quarterback Kyle Trask #11 of the Florida Gators throws against the Oklahoma Sooners at AT&T Stadium on December 30, 2020.
The Pittsburgh Steelers want Ben Roethlisberger back for an 18th (and likely final) season. As such, it seems likely that the team will be inclined to use its draft picks to try to fill immediate needs—on the offensive line and at running back, for instance—as opposed to expending resources on a future need at the quarterback position.
But don’t discount the possibility of the Steelers taking a quarterback at some point in the draft.
“I think they are going to exhaust all options. They have got quarterbacks in the draft that they like,” said NFL Insider Jeremy Fowler on Monday during an appearance with The PM Team w/ Poni & Mueller on 93.7 The Fan.
To be sure, one of the quarterbacks they like would have probably have to fall unexpectedly far for the Steelers to pull the trigger. That includes the five best QB prospects—Trevor Lawrence (Clemson), Zach Wilson (BYU), Justin Fields (Ohio State), Trey Lance (North Dakota State) and Mac Jones (Alabama), all of whom figure to be long gone by the time the Steelers get a chance to utilize the No. 24 pick in the first round.
But what if a Day 2 or Day 3 prospect—like Kyle Trask (Florida), who Mel Kiper sees as a second-round pick and a potential “heir apparent to Ben”—falls to, say, the third or fourth round?
During his career at Florida, Trask completed 552 of 813 passes for 7,386 yards and 69 touchdowns in 28 games. This past year, Trask was a Heisman Trophy finalist and finished fourth in the voting.
But not all draft evaluators are as high on Trask as Kiper, who Pro Football Focus called “a great college QB who might struggle as a pro.”
“The issue is that he doesn’t have the physical gifts that are almost universally found in NFL quarterbacks,” notes PFF. “He doesn’t even have average levels of athleticism, whether that comes with his legs or his arm. The ball just travels at such a slow speed when it leaves his hand that it’s going to be hard to fit balls into closing windows with NFL athletes playing defense, and he’s going to have to throw with immaculate anticipation.”
A more intriguing Day 2/3 name to remember is Kellen Mond (Texas A&M), who has the athleticism and arm talent to thrive in the NFL, but never quite put it all together in college, perhaps in part because of a subpar supporting cast.
Status of the Ben Roethlisberger Contract Negotiations?
Meanwhile, the Steelers still have to re-do Ben Roethlisberger’s contract (before March 17th) if they are going to have him back for the 2021 season.
“It’s been pretty slow. They are kinda slowly working it out,” said Fowler in the above-referenced interview. “The issue is, are they going to expect him to take a pay cut or not? That’s a question. Some people around the league believe that they are, in part because Ben has offered that … or at least suggested that he is willing to help them.”
Yet Fowler believes the negotiations will wrap up sooner rather than later. “I think it will be pretty clean in the end. It could get done this week,” he added.
Where Does This Leave Backup QB Mason Rudolph?
According to Fowler, part of the rationale for bringing back Roethlisberger for another year was considering what games might look like without him.
“I think they considered what it would be like if they started Mason Rudolph in 2021,” he added. At the same time, “I think they still do believe in him based on the last few times he’s played significant snaps…. This is a Kevin Colbert pick … they would still like to see him in extended action at some point,” and Fowler suggests that the Steelers might sign him to a short-term extension after this season and give him a chance to start.
“The thing with Rudolph is they know mostly what they have” and feel like “they could win some games” with him. “They know he’s probably got a ceiling—he’s not going to be an absolute superstar—but they are comfortable with him,” at least as a “bridge” quarterback.
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