NFL Rumors: 4 surprise teams that could draft a first-round QB in 2024

1. Pittsburgh Steelers

There's no question that it seems like every possible option for the Pittsburgh Steelers as it pertains to the quarterback position is one the table. It's in play that new offensive coordinator could prefer to get some work in with 2022 first-round pick Kenny Pickett before pushing him to the side. Signing a veteran like Ryan Tannehill or Kirk Cousins could be an option too. Or, though I'd strongly advise against this, perhaps Mason Rudolph earned himself a chance to start in 2024.

Then there's the possibility that the Steelers could draft a Pickett replacement. For some time now, this has seemed less likely than other options simply because of the way we were viewing how things would play out for quarterbacks in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. But with this latest report, could that make Pittsburgh more inclined to target Penix, Nix or McCarthy?

Doing so would certainly be a complicated matter for Mike Tomlin's club. On one hand, hitting a hard reset with a rookie quarterback makes a ton of sense for the team in its current situation. At the same time, though, the Steelers picking at No. 20 overall has them in the same range that they selected Pickett. Would they want to run the risk of drafting the next iteration of the quarterback they want to move on from in terms of draft value? I'm not so sure.

Having said that, free agency will tell us quite a bit about how the Steelers plan to address quarterback this offseason. If they come out of the early spring leading into the draft without signing someone like Tannehill or Cousins, then they are very much alive to take a quarterback at No. 20. And even if they do sign a veteran, if the regime is fully out on Pickett, maybe it would be under consideration in that scenario too.