The Steelers are set to host the consensus top six quarterbacks in the 2022 NFL Draft for pre-draft visits, according to a report by Aditi Kinkhabwala of NFL Network.
The tour of the quarterbacks will start with Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder, who will be visiting Thursday. Then, on Friday, North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell will come to Pittsburgh. Following that the week afterward, Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral and Nevada quarterback Carson Strong will visit the Steelers. Finally, in two weeks, Liberty quarterback Malik Willis will come to the Steel City. That means the Steelers will spend five of their top 30 pre-draft visits on quarterbacks.
They likely would have spent a sixth, but Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett counts as a local visit, and thus will not count against the Top-30 visits for the Steelers. Reportedly, Pickett already met with the Steelers and offensive coordinator Matt Canada, who recruited Pickett to come play for Pitt out of high school.
The Steelers’ pick at No. 20 is going to be a weird spot to pick a quarterback. They may have to trade up to get one of the top group. However, they have done all the work necessary to get one. Pittsburgh took the pro day tour to all the quarterbacks’ stops, formally interviewed them all at the NFL Combine, and seemed heavily interested in them at the Senior Bowl. As it stands, all signs point to Pittsburgh going quarterback at 20.
They’ve recently been connected to Ridder and Willis in mock drafts. The betting markets reflect their desire to land a quarterback, as well. The current favorite to be the Steelers’ first pick is Corral, though they are also among the favorites to get Pickett and Willis.