Steelers Draft Digest: Ideal QB Emerges for Pittsburgh

The Steelers’ draft pick gets sent further down the board, while a quarterback who would make plenty of sense for the team declares and heads to the Senior Bowl.

Tulane quarterback Michael Pratt will skip the team’s bowl game and prepare for his week in Mobile, Alabama, at the Senior Bowl. He will work alongside other senior quarterbacks who have received an invite. The Steelers’ draft process could certainly include a quarterback with struggles at the position all season, even if the scheme and coaching may have broken the group. Pittsburgh could look for a reset there to boost the offense, but if they want a mid-round option, Pratt fits the bill.

Pratt carries a calmness in the pocket and can act as a distributor. He is a high-floor type of player who will likely be a solid backup in the NFL, and this should be a guy who could end up in the middle rounds. Keep an eye on Pratt as a guy Pittsburgh likes in the class.

A new mock draft from A.J. Schulte of Pro Football Network has the Steelers taking explosive LSU wide receiver Brian Thomas in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. That could be an exciting pick, for several reasons, as Schulte outlines:

“The Steelers offense is a mixed bag of “Who Knows?” right now with most of the talent on that side of the ball. So many players have their futures up in the air, especially in their wide receiver room. Allen Robinson will likely be cut with an $11M cap hit next year, and Diontae Johnson could join him since he has no more guaranteed money left on his deal. Brian Thomas Jr. is a height/weight/speed freak at 6’4″, 205 pounds and possessing blazing explosiveness. His combination of athleticism and rare drops would be a welcome boost to this Steelers offense,” Schulte wrote.

After Sunday’s state of games, the Steelers are slated to have the 16th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. That is one pick better than where the Steelers initially selected in the 2023 NFL Draft. This spring, the Steelers traded up from No. 17 to No. 14 in order to select tackle Broderick Jones. It’s still in the land where no one team wants to be, too low to have any success in the regular season but too high to get blue chip players on a consistent basis.