QB question: Young or Stroud?
Steelers have no need to answer
INDIANAPOLIS — Safe to say, Kenny Pickett wouldn’t be the first quarterback selected if he were a part of the 2023draft class.
It’s possible he wouldn’t even have been the third or fourth quarterback selected, not if the consensus of some NFL teams and draft experts isto be believed.
That’s fine by the Steelers. They got the quarterback they wanted, when they wanted him, and don’t have to worry which quarterback will be the first selected in April — Bryce Young or C.J. Stroud — or even how many will go in the top10.
They will leave that to the other teams in need of a starting quarterback.
“We have our quarterback,” general manager Omar Khan said at the NFL combine. “The growth of Kenny Pickett was pretty cool towards the end of the season last year, just watching him grow. I just think if we continue that momentum, I think good things are in store for us.”
The Steelers spent an inordinate amount of time last year evaluating the draft crop of quarterbacks, attending the pro day of every top-rated prospect, from Pickett and Malik Willis to Desmond Ridder and Sam Howell, and meeting with them individually. But the 2022 class was not considered to be strong, and that was proven when Pickett was taken at No. 20 overall and another was not selected until the third round (Willis).
That is not the case this year.
Barring a trade, Young and Stroud are expected to be go among the top four picks in the draft — one by the Houston Texans at No. 2, the other by the Indianapolis Colts at No. 4.
Two other quarterbacks — Penn State transfer Will Levis of Kentucky and Florida’s Anthony Richardson — could go among the top 10, according to ESPN draft guru Todd McShay. Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Network has all four among the top 18 — two spots higher than where Pickett was selected a year ago.
Young, the Heisman Trophy winner in 2021, could be a concern for some NFL teams because of his smallish, slight frame(5-foot-10, 204 pounds) — an issue that has dogged Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray, the 2021 No. 1 overall pick. Young would become the first quarterback since 2003 to weigh less than 207 pounds and be drafted in thefirst round.
“I’ve been this size, respectfully, my whole life,” Young said, smiling. “I know who I am. I know what I can do. Everyone can speculate and ask when the questions are necessary. I’m going to continue to control what I can control.”
That is seemingly the only question surrounding Young. Teams are likely to focus more on his game film, leadership qualities and on-field de-meanor than his size.
Young, though, opted not to throw in the quarterback drills on Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium, preferring to wait until his Alabama pro day. The other top three quarterbacks were expected to throw, especially Levis, who said, “I’ve got a cannon and I want to show it off.”
“My job isn’t to necessarily prove anything,” Young said. “For me, it’s to try to explain all the things that I see to all the coaches, all the decision makers, to express myself and talk about how I see the game, my experiences in the past. To be able to learn, as well. Try to soak as much in and learn fromthe coaches.”
Size is not an issue for Stroud (6-3, 217), who threw for 8,123 yards and 85 touchdowns with only 12 interceptions in two seasons as a starter at Ohio State. He thinks his performance in the semifinal playoff game against Georgia only solidified his belief he is the best quarterback in the draft.
“I think I’ve been the best player in college football two years in a row, and I think I’ve consistently done that,” said Stroud, who was a Heisman Trophy finalist each of the past two seasons. “Honestly, I think I haven’t even touched my potential yet.”
Stroud said the one aspect he regrets not using with the Buckeyes was his ability to run and create plays outside the pocket. It was something he did in his monster game against Georgia, including a 27-yard scramble on Ohio State’s final drive that ended witha missed field goal.
Quarterback mobility has become an essential element for NFL teams, attributes that have helped make Levis and Richardson desirable prospects.
“I’ll be honest, I told (NFL teams) like I’ll tell y’all — I didn’t do it a lot in college and I feel like I should have,” Stroud said. “It’s something I do regret. I feel like I could have done it a lot more. But I think whenyou turn on the film and you really watch what I do, and you really look at film game to game, I have used my athleticism not only just in the Georgia game where I did it a lot, I’ve done it in every other game. But there were times I didn’t run the ball when maybe I should have.”
The Steelers don’t have to worry about any of that evaluation. They are merely window-shopping at the combine — looking in from the outside but not interested in buying. They have their quarterback, no matter when they obtained him.