I have never seen a better NFL Coach who is constantly under so much scrutiny with calls for his job. Mike Tomlin has his team in the playoff race each year, finishing above .500 every season. In a tough AFC North division, which has two of the best QBs in the game (Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow), Tomlin’s teams more than hold their own.
It was certainly easier when he had Ben Roethlisberger as his QB, but since Big Ben’s departure, it has been tough sledding. The team literally has no viable QB options yet this year. And unless they come to an agreement with Aaron Rodgers or trade for Kirk Cousins, they will have to look at the draft. And this season is not considered to be a great draft for the QBs.
They duplicated their 2023 record, going 10-7 again last season. They say if you have two QBs you have none, but the Steelers defied that phrase, using both Justin Fields and Russell Wilson. This year, they have neither.
In 2023, their offense could only muster 304pts, while last season, with both Fields and Wilson, they put up 380pts. And while that was a huge improvement of 76 points, with an average increase of nearly 4.5 points per game, it still only ranked them 16th in the league. Their defense, as usual, outperformed the offense. They ranked eighth last season, which was the 16th time since 2000 they were in the top 10 in defense.
They only have six picks in this year’s draft and only two in the top 100. They own the 21st pick in the first round and the 83rd pick in the third round. It will be tough to find a dynamic QB at either of those spots, but they have no choice. They cannot, in good conscience, begin the season with Mason Rudolph at the helm.
They signed WR DK Metcalf…they need somebody to get him the ball. While Aaron Rodgers has been seen working out with him, even if Rodgers does sign, he is certainly not a long-term solution. A few seasons ago, the Steelers drafted RB Najee Harris, but he never really panned out and would be considered an underachiever at best. Their main back this season is Jaylen Warren, and it wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world to find another RB from the draft. That is the one position that IS actually deep this year.
By the time the draft gets to no.21, the top two options at QB will be long gone. Cam Ward is projected to go first overall, and depending on who you listen to, Shaddeur Sanders will go anywhere between 2nd and 6th…but he won’t get past the Raiders. That leaves the third QB option, who is Ole Miss’s Jaxson Dart. He’s projected to be around until early in the second round, so taking him at no.21 would be a huge stretch.
Their best option is to trade down out of No. 21 and grab some extra draft capital while taking Dart. And depending on the other picks they get, they may or may not be able to get Cam Skattabo from Arizona St. He’s projected to go in the 50s. And it may take too much to move up from 83rd. But if they can, he would be perfect for them. If they can’t, a viable second option would be to snag an RB who should be there for them. Iowa’s Kaleb Johnson is projected to go in the 80s, so they can either wait it out at no.83 for him to fall to them or move up a few spots to ensure getting him. Johnson has a fantastic size and speed combination that the Steelers love so much, and coming from Iowa, Johnson has that Steeler-vibe. Last season, Johnson rushed for 1537 yards, with an average of 6.4 yards per rush…and he had a whopping 21 rushing TDs. He added two receiving TDs and 22 receptions overall.