Steelers draft history shows they should go QB in first round, or not at all

Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert’s draft history shows that he should only draft a quarterback in the first round.

The Pittsburgh Steelers enter another NFL Draft season where fans and experts wonder if this is the year where the team finally selects Ben Roethlisberger’s eventual replacement. In recent years, that has fallen upon deaf ears, especially when it comes to using their first-round pick to take a signal caller.

When looking at general manager Kevin Colbert’s draft history, he has never selected a quarterback in the first round besides Roethlisberger. If you look at the signal callers Colbert has taken in the later rounds, perhaps it is time for him to change his strategy.

Steelers: Kevin Colbert’s draft history proves Pittsburgh needs to take a quarterback in the first round and the first round alone

Not exactly the most prestigious list of passers. Out of all the quarterbacks, the one who was taken the earliest was Mason Rudolph, whom Colbert drafted in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft. This list shows that if Colbert wants to select a quarterback, it should only be in the first round.

This year, it is unlikely that the Steelers will be able to get one of the top quarterback prospects in this year’s class (i.e. Justin Fields, Trey Lance, Mac Jones), since they hold the 24th overall pick. The only way the Steelers can land one is if one of those prospects falls to them or if Colbert makes a trade into the top 10 of the first round to select one. The former option is highly unlikely, while the latter is a more feasible option.

Since Roethlisberger is back for essentially one more season, Colbert could very well choose to select a position player on the offensive side of the ball to give the veteran some help. The obvious needs are at running back and on the offensive line.

Barring anything unforeseen, the Steelers will roll with a quarterback depth chart of Roethlisberger, Rudolph, Josh Dobbs and Dwayne Haskins entering training camp. But if Colbert is to consider a contingency plan at the quarterback position, it needs to be on Day 1 of the NFL Draft.