Steelers: Wild mock draft has Pittsburgh trading up for Sam Howell

An official NFL.com mock draft has the Steelers not only selecting UNC’s Sam Howell, but trading up to get him in the first place.

Pittsburgh needs a quarterback, that much is obvious. With Ben Roethlisberger retiring after nearly two decades at the helm, Pittsburgh must take a look towards the future, and that future cannot be Mason Rudolph.

Sure, either Rudolph or Dwayne Haskins would be a nice filler option, but they are not the answer long-term. This is not Brett Favre handing the baton to Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay.

So, could the Steelers select a quarterback in the first round of this year’s NFL Draft? A relatively weak quarterback class would suggest they wait their turn at pick 20, rather than trade up. But what do we know?

Steelers mock draft: Pittsburgh trades up for Sam Howell

Pittsburgh flirted with Malik Willis during the Senior Bowl, as both head coach Mike Tomlin and general manager Kevin Colbert were seen speaking with the Liberty quarterback and his family. Willis is expected to be on the first quarterbacks off the board, and NFL.com’s Chad Reuter suspects he’ll go to the Carolina Panthers at No. 3.

The Steelers aren’t trading up that high, as it would cost an arm and a leg, but when QBs start dropping like flies will they considering mortgaging their future for a player like Howell?

Here is Reuter’s explanation for such a bold take:

"“Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert is stepping down after the draft. I suspect he’ll make his best effort to acquire the team’s future starting QB before he departs. Trading up for Howell would cost the Steelers their 2023 first-round pick and one of their third-rounders this year. Howell’s production was down in 2021, but he showed the same leadership, arm strength and gumption during the Senior Bowl that was on display over the past three years at North Carolina.”"

The Steelers were rumored to be in on Howell a few months ago, suggesting they could take the UNC quarterback if he were to fall to them at pick No. 20. But trading two first-round picks and a third-rounder is a lot of ammo for a team like Pittsburgh, which suddenly has a lot of holes at QB and on their offensive line.

If the Steelers believe in Howell that heavily, then they could trade up in similar fashion to the deal which landed them Roethlisberger in 2004. But, Colbert better be sure.