Another ESPN personality believes the Pittsburgh Steelers should select a quarterback in the upcoming 2021 NFL Draft.
Joining ESPN’s Get Up on Tuesday, Booger McFarland pointed to Pittsburgh as a potential destination for former Florida quarterback Kyle Trask.
“Yeah I think at some point they’re going to think quarterback,” McFarland said. “I don’t think you bring back Ben Roethlisberger back to think quarterback in the first round. I think you can get a guy like Kyle Trask who I think fits perfectly in Pittsburgh.”
McFarland also pointed to Trask’s stature, which he seems to believe is a qualification for succeeding Roethlisberger.
“Big strong kid, strong arm, can throw the football all over the field and he’s a very accurate passer. He just fits from a 6-5, 230 pounds standpoint. He fits and looks like Big Ben. So that’s a quarterback you can maybe get in the second round.”
McFarland also conceded that the Steelers are likely not thinking about their immediate future at quarterback, considering the team was content returning Roethlisberger for the 2021 season.
He also noted that the club is taking a low-risk flyer on former first-round selection Dwayne Haskins, who he is bullish on.
“But if you’re Pittsburgh, there’s no way you bring Ben Roethlisberger back and say ‘okay we’re going to start preparing for the future.’ If that was the case, you would just move on and cut bait,” he said. “Let’s not forget, they have Dwayne Haskins, a former first round pick who has a lot of talent. I think he’ll flourish in Pittsburgh in that culture under Mike Tomlin. I think they’ll get the best out of Dwayne Haskins. I think Pittsburgh is okay at quarterback but if they want to get one and kind of put him on the bench, Kyle Trask (is a good option).”
McFarland also mentioned the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a good landing spot for Trask, allowing him to sit and learn behind Tom Brady in his home state.
While the Steelers have needed to think about their future at quarterback for quite sometime, they more than likely will not be addressing it in the first three rounds of this year’s draft.
In returning Roethlisberger, the organization made it clear they are still in pursuit of a Super Bowl.
With more pressing needs at cornerback, center, tackle and linebacker, Pittsburgh has far too many holes to invest an early pick in Trask.
A Heisman finalist in 2020, Trask passed for 4,283 yards and 43 touchdowns with eight interceptions. His 43 touchdown passes led the nation.