Ben Roethlisberger is no longer the Steelers' starting quarterback. For the first time in nearly 20 years, the Steelers are in the market for a franchise QB.

The current replacement options are questionable, at best. Mitch Trubisky was signed during free agency and is the favorite to win the starting gig, but he'll have to hold off Mason Rudolph over the summer.

Dwayne Haskins figured to be in the mix, as well, but his unfortunate, tragic passing leaves the Steelers not only without a great friend, teammate, and person – it leaves them shorthanded at the position.

NFL teams typically carry three quarterbacks on their roster. That's why it was a surprise to see the Steelers completely avoid the position in ESPN's Jordan Reid's latest mock draft. Reid's mock draft covers all seven rounds and all 262 picks, so the full draft is on display. Yet, the Steelers end up without a signal caller.

Reid's picks are below:

• Round 1, No. 20 overall: G Zion Johnson, Boston College Golden Eagles
• Round 2, No. 52 overall: iDL Phidarian Mathis, Alabama Crimson Tide
• Round 3, No. 84 overall: OT Daniel Faalele, Minnesota Golden Gophers
• Round 4, No. 138 overall: WR Tyquan Thorton, Baylor Golden Bears
• Round 6, No. 208 overall: LB Ellis Brooks, Penn State Nittany Lions
• Round 7, No. 225 overall: EDGE Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa, Notre Dame Fighting Irish
• Round 7, No. 241 overall: CB Kyler McMichael, North Carolina Tarheels

Making sense of the mock draft selections

The Johnson picks makes sense, but it's still a bit surprising because Desmond Ritter, Sam Howell, and Matt Corral are all on the board at No. 20. Malik Willis went to the Lions at No. 2 overall, while Kenny Pickett was selected by the Panthers with the sixth overall pick.

Pittsburgh has questions at one of their guard positions. Drafting Johnson immediately answers that question and helps James Daniels lock down the opposite guard position. Johnson has also shown the ability to play center. He gives the Steelers a backup plan in case Mason Cole doesn't work out.

The Steelers aren't going to force a pick and they avoid doing just that in this mock draft. While many consider Ridder a likely first-round selection, he's still raw and there are questions that surround his game. Howell and Corral are second-round talents, at best.

As it turns out, the trio of Howell, Corral, and Ridder are all off the board by the time the Steelers pick in the second round. Mathis makes sense in the second-round, but at the same time, both Tyson Alualu and Stephon Tuitt are set to return from their season-ending injuries and are projected as starters in 2022. Mathis would be a nice rotational piece and could eventually replace one of the two down the road.

Georgia safety Lewis Cine does drop to the Saints at No. 49. It wouldn't be a surprise to see the Steelers trade up and nab him a couple of picks before that if the draft were to play out like Reid's mock draft.

Nevada's Carson Strong is off the board by the time the Steelers pick in the third round, which essentially leaves the cupboard bare from that point on. Western Kentucky's Bailey Zappe is available, but he's a bit smaller than what the Steelers typically prefer at 6-foot-1, 220 pounds.

A quarterback-less draft is a surprise, but it makes sense

Considering how Reid's board fell, it's hard to blame the Steelers for not taking a signal-caller. They still have other needs to address and they did just that. But, it is surprising they didn't at least take a sixth- or seventh-round flier on a guy to fill out the roster in Reid's mock draft.

You can check out Reid's full mock draft, here.

Featured image via Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports