Why a QB that's a popular mock draft selection for Pittsburgh Steelers would be a bad idea
Most mock drafts that we've seen over the last two months have the Pittsburgh Steelers selecting a quarterback with the No. 20 overall selection. The Steelers signed Mitch Trubisky earlier this offseason to presumably serve as the team's starting quarterback in 2022. Trubisky, however, isn't considered a viable long-term option for Pittsburgh (unless he turns […]
Most mock drafts that we've seen over the last two months have the Pittsburgh Steelers selecting a quarterback with the No. 20 overall selection.
The Steelers signed Mitch Trubisky earlier this offseason to presumably serve as the team's starting quarterback in 2022.
Trubisky, however, isn't considered a viable long-term option for Pittsburgh (unless he turns into the second coming of Ben Roethlisberger this offseason, which would be a pleasant surprise for the Steelers).
That's why it seems likely that Pittsburgh will target a quarterback in the 2022 NFL Draft.
A lot of the early mock drafts had the Steelers taking Liberty quarterback Malik Willis with the No. 20 overall pick.
Willis is considered by many analysts to be the best quarterback in the draft. He's raw, but he has a lot of upside.
Unfortunately for Pittsburgh, Willis' draft stock has risen considerably over the last month and it looks like he'll be drafted in the top 10 now.
As a result, we've started seeing Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder being mocked to the Steelers more often.
Ridder is seemingly a solid pro prospect. He has good athleticism and solid mechanics. Ridder looks the part of a starting NFL quarterback.
There's just one problem — Ridder has some issues with accuracy.
And that's an issue that can be hard for a quarterback to correct.
According to Pro Football Focus, Ridder's CPOE (completion percentage over expected) was just 0.1 percent in 2021.
Anything over 5 percent is considered elite (the only quarterback in the 2022 NFL Draft with a CPOE over 5 percent is Pittsburgh's Kenny Pickett, who had a 7.0 percent CPOE).
CPOE in college is usually a good indicator of how accurate a quarterback will be in the NFL (which isn't good news for Ridder).
Ridder knows he struggles with accuracy and it's something he's specifically working to improve this offseason.
Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert, however, isn't confident that a quarterback who is inaccurate in college can suddenly be accurate in the NFL.
“I think if you study quarterbacks over history, accuracy at the collegiate level is usually a great indicator of accuracy at the professional level albeit at in a different game," said Colbert earlier this offseason. "A lot of the college game is leaking into our game so there are more similarities than there have been in recent years.
"But I think that’s the one trait of a quarterback—again they’re all going to be different sizes, they’re all going to have different arm talent, they’re all going to have different athletic abilities. But if you ask me one thing that I think can identify a potentially tough quarterback it would be accuracy.”
It's hard to argue against Colbert's view. It should be easier to be accurate in college. How is Ridder going to improve his accuracy with tighter and shorter windows in the NFL? It doesn't seem likely that he will.
I wouldn't be shocked if the Steelers pass on Ridder if he falls to No. 20. I think Colbert will recognize that Ridder has major bust potential due to his accuracy issues. Pittsburgh could decide to attack other needs and wait to address quarterback next offseason when the first round could feature better talent.
Featured image via Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports
