The Pittsburgh Steelers are entering a transitional season for the first time in nearly 18 years, as they will need to rebuild following a blowout loss to the Kansas City Chiefs and the almost-certain retirement of longtime franchise quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
Here are 3 major fixes for the Steelers heading into the offseason.
1. Acquire a franchise quarterback
The first thing the Steelers need to do is solidify the quarterback position. There are three key ways to do this: Drafting a quarterback this year, acquiring a current star, or signing a stopgap with an eye on one of the top two picks next year.
If the Steelers elect to draft a quarterback early this year, their first choice should be Malik Willis from Liberty University. Willis has elite upside, along with a decent floor. He has all the physical traits in the world, from Lamar Jackson-lite speed and agility to Josh Allen-lite or Patrick Mahomes-lite pure arm talent.
The major criticism of Willis is that he wasn’t asked to do too much in college in terms of reading the defense, which lowers his floor if he cannot adjust to the NFL. However, these critics are missing a key point: Willis's running ability automatically raises his floor. There should be little doubt that his running ability will translate to the NFL, and this gives him a higher floor than many boom or bust draft candidates because he can rely on his legs while he adjusts to the NFL game.
Also, the Steelers have a relatively poor offensive line. This means that Willis's running ability will come in handy as he will be able to negate some of this weakness in a way that a fairly immobile Ben Roethlisberger has not been able to do these past few seasons.
2. Improve the offensive line
Improving the offensive line is fairly simple: The Steelers need to draft a center and a tackle. Another highly rated guard might not be necessary, although depth is always ideal on the offensive line. Kendrick Green has the potential to be a great player but he is not a center. If the Steelers drafted a true center, they can move Kendrick Green to right guard where he has the potential to be elite. Kevin Dotson has all the talent in the world and is an excellent run blocker, so the left guard spot is also solidified. Dan Moore Jr. showed potential at left tackle this season, but he would be better suited moving over to right tackle if the Steelers are able to acquire a true blue-chip elite talent at left tackle.
Tyler Linderbaum from Iowa State is a solid choice at center. A valuable tackle option is Zion Nelson, who has shown elite tape as a pass blocker or Trevor Penning who is an excellent run-blocker. Nicholas Petit-Frere put an up-and-down season on film study this year, but there is certainly potential.
Nelson and/or Penning on Day Two and Petit-Frere on Day Three would be great selections.
3. Acquire a true #1 wide receiver
This doesn’t have to be this season, and it may not be with the need to draft a quarterback in round one and fixes desperately needing to be made along the offensive line. However, there may be some wide receivers with #1-receiver type potential available in the second round especially if the Steelers are willing to consider trading up.
Pittsburgh's eyes on in this draft should be on Jameson Williams from Alabama, who might fall due to the injury he sustained in the national championship game, Chris Olave from Ohio State, who was largely overlooked due to the performance of his teammates, and Treylon Burks or Drake London, both of whom are physical specimens at the receiver position.
This is a very deep class for receivers, and there is an excellent chance that one or multiple blue-chip prospects falls out of the first round. If this happens, the Steelers should look to pick them up immediately.
The other option is to wait for next year for a true #1-wide receiver. Some targets would be Jaxon Smith-Njigba, the Ohio State sensation who broke out in a huge way with a record-setting Rose Bowl performance against Utah. Smith-Njigba is in line to have an excellent season next year, which will solidify him as one of the top receivers in the class. With the Steelers likely going through a transition year even with a young quarterback, they should be in line to take the Ohio State product and pair him with Willis or another QB to find the league's next devastating up-and-coming QB-WR combo.
There are definitely some moves for the Steelers to make, but if they go about them the right way, the franchise could be heading in the right direction in the 2022 season.
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