With just days to go until the 2020 NFL draft, we are going to go through all of the Steelers positional units to review the current state of the roster, gauge draft need and talk about some approaches to addressing the need.
First up we have the quarterbacks.
Roster
The Steelers currently have five quarterbacks on their roster. The name we all know and love is Ben Roethlisberger. Big Ben seems to be on track to get back on the field this season after missing almost all of last season with an elbow injury. When healthy he’s one of the best quarterbacks in the league despite being 38 years old.
The backups on the roster consist of Mason Rudolph, Devlin Hodges, Paxton Lynch and J.T. Barrett. We got a good look at the future between Rudolph and Hodges last season and frankly, it wasn’t great. Rudolph was drafted to replace Roethlisberger but I’m not sure anything we saw last season gives hope for the future.
Draft need
How highly you rank quarterback as a draft need really depends on two factors. First, how confident are you in Roethlisberger and his ability to not only play well this season but extend his career for several more season.
Second, how confident are you in the development of Rudolph and would you be ok if he took over the starting job again this season. We won’t even talk about Hodges who was a great story but isn’t an NFL starting quarterback.
For me, the need to draft a quarterback depends on availability. Honestly, if the Steelers aren’t going to spend a second or third-round pick on a guy like Jacob Eason or Jalen Hurts, I’d just as soon they pass and use those later-round picks on other positions where the talent runs deeper.
Potential targets
Jacob Eason | Washington
Jalen Hurts | Oklahoma
Jake Fromm | Georgia
James Morgan | FIU
