The Steelers’ visions of announcing their future franchise quarterback in this year’s draft in Pittsburgh are long gone. But will they bypass the position altogether? They may not have counted on Arch Manning, but surely a year ago at this time, they expected something more. Outside of Fernando Mendoza, nobody is generating much excitement. So what is the point, then, if what you need is a long-term answer?
“I find it hard to believe they’re gonna take any quarterback” in the draft, Steelers beat writer Mark Kaboly said on 93.7 The Fan yesterday. “You look at next year’s class”, he added, “you’re looking at a potential six, seven guys in the first round. You should be able to get one of those guys; why would I want to take a Ty Simpson or a mid-level guy [like] Drew Allar when I can just build out the roster more”.
The Steelers did draft a quarterback just last year, of course: Will Howard, taken in the sixth round. Despite his zero preseason snaps and minimal training camp reps, he seems to have his new coaches’ attention.
Will Howard won a national title in 2024 with the Buckeyes, but his reputation is rooted primarily in that year’s postseason run. Had he not had that Joe Flacco-esque stretch, neither the Steelers nor anybody else might have taken the quarterback with a draft pick at all. In many ways, he fulfills the desired prototype, but you also have to perform. And while he has some admirable athletic qualities, his lack of elite arm strength is something to note, as well.
The Steelers have brought in two quarterbacks for visits prior to the draft, Carson Beck the more notable name. The point everyone seems to want to raise, however, is concerning the bird in the hand: Howard. If you don’t think a rookie has more potential than Howard, what would be the point of drafting him?
The thing is, it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to have much of an opinion about Will Howard. He really hasn’t done anything that merits deep evaluation. He didn’t even get much work in during training camp, and he returned to practice late in the regular season. In comparison to the quarterbacks in this draft class, he wouldn’t be that much further ahead evaluation-wise for the Steelers. No matter how much Mike McCarthy claims he studied Howard’s practice tape.
But the bottom line for the Steelers right now is this: is there a quarterback in this draft class that makes them feel as confident as Will Howard does? And equally important, is he feasibly within their reach? Basically everybody short of Mendoza should be. But would they dare use a first-round pick on Simpson, or a third-rounder on Allar? They still have plenty of other places on the roster to upgrade, and they have backup quarterbacks already.