The time has come, as it always does, where we have to turn our attention to what has become the second biggest event of the football season – the NFL Draft. It’s a time of speculation, hope and guesswork about who our beloved Steelers are going to add to the roster.

Will he be a star? Will he be a bust? Will we find an Antonio Brown, or just another Limas Sweed?

What are the needs of the team? Where should they focus their attention? Should the draft for a need, or draft the best player available (BPA)?

Questions, questions, questions.

Obviously, we here at SCU will be putting our two cents into the pot about who the Steelers should draft, where they should draft them, and why. We’ve already had various internal conversations about some guy named Butt and various other prospects, having started our speculation sometime in December.

Now it’s time to start taking a real look at what this year’s draft has to offer. We’ll take a look at the upcoming set of draft prospects by position group and see if anyone amongst the top prospects might be a good fit for the Black and Gold.

Based on speculation about the future of our Hall of Fame quarterback, I thought it might be a good idea to start with the men who call the signals. So let’s take a look at what this year’s draft offers from the standpoint of quarterbacks.

Overview

I know all of the more paranoid members of the Nation are out their screaming that we need to “draft Ben’s successor” in this draft. Let me break this to you as gently as I can.

He ain’t here.

 

It’s certainly possible that one of the prospects in this draft becomes a standout, but frankly, the chances are slim.

The Steelers, like it or not, are not in need of a quarterback right now. Even if Ben retires, when the Steelers go on the clock at the 30th pick, any quarterback left available to them is likely to be a stretch, and possibly a big one.

Let’s take a look at who is available, broken down into three categories – the Cream, the Crop and the Dregs.

The Cream

The top 3 prospects (depending on whom you believe) are Mitch Trubinsky from North Carolina, Deshaun Watson from Clemson and DeShone Kizer from Notre Dame. Some people want to push Patrick Mahomes from Texas Tech into that category as well.

After that, the talent pool drops off rather drastically.

Of these four, Kizer and Mahomes both grade as late late 1^st rounders or second rounders on most of the early draft boards. I think it’s fair to say that Mitch Trubisky, barring a horrible effort at the combine or some other unknown issue popping up, will be long gone before the Steelers pick. The same is likely true of Deshaun Watson.

I don’t pretend to being a QB expert, but I don’t think Watson’s game is going to translate well to the pro’s. Running QB’s rarely do (leaving Cam Newton out of the equation). So even if Watson is available at 30, I wouldn’t use the pick on him. I’ve watched some film on Mitch Trubisky and I am not sold on him either. I think he’s got some measurable, and certainly has potential, but he has flaws (like his footwork) which may be really hard to work around. Again, pass. DeShone Kizer is intriguing. He has good size at 6’ 4 ½’’ (the tallest of this group by 1 ½ inches) and he has a big arm. The question is whether or not his decision making is up to snuff, and most believe he’s not ready yet. Even if he does drop to us, I’d pass.

The truth is I don’t expect any of those three guys to be around when the Steelers pick. The one guy in this group who might be is Patrick Mahomes. Like the rest of this group, Mahomes is not NFL ready yet. He needs time to grow, but he has the body and the arm. If he’s there at 30, I still pass, but if he’s still on the board when we draft in the second round, well, maybe I pull the trigger. Maybe.

The Crop

The next set of prospects includes Pitt’s Nathan Peterman, Miami’s Brad Kaaya, and maybe Davis Webb from California. None of these guys are worthy of a first round pick, and frankly none rate a second round pick either. Of this group, Peterman has had a decent showing at the Senior Bowl, but even with that, scouts are talking about him as a 3^rd rounder. Anyone of these guys is fated to be a backup, not a starter.

Yes, I know that Dak Prescott was drafted in the fourth round, and we all know the story of Tom Brady, but these are exceptions, and they are exceptions that came in draft classes that were much stronger at the QB position than this one.

None of these guys are going to be an NFL starter.

The Dregs

Really, it’s unfair to categorize these prospects this way, but really, when you look at it, these are real question mark kinds of guys. Jerod Evans from Virginia Tech, Chad Kelly from Ole Miss, Joshua Dobbs from Tennessee, C.J. Beathard from Iowa and if you want me to be generous Sefo Liufau from Colorado.

Look, there is nothing here. Even if we miss out early in the draft, I wouldn’t waste a pick on any of these guys because frankly you can probably pick one of them up as an undrafted free agent.

Conclusion

Nation, this is not a position of need. Ben will be back. I believe that. Just remember, this is not a strong draft for QB’s so don’t be surprised if the Steelers avoid the position altogether.

The only caveat to that is if one of the Cream drops into round 2. I think the Steelers will draft an edge rusher in the 1^st round, and after that, balance things on need/value and if the value is right, then maybe they’ll take a chance on a QB.

But don’t count on it.

Next up: O-Line