Home 2014 NFL Draft Quarterbacks Will Affect Steelers’ Draft

Quarterbacks Will Affect Steelers’ Draft

by Steelbydesign

083113-CFB-AGGIES-JOHNNY-MANZIEL-DC-PI2_20130831161114867_640_480The NFL draft process can be a little exhausting with the amount of time we have to scrutinize every possible angle.

The great, and not-so-great thing about the draft is the domino effect.

With the quarterback position being the most important on a roster, they get most of the press.

While most Steelers fan aren’t probably interested in the top quarterbacks in the draft, they should be interested in their draft stock; for two reasons.

I think that the best we can hope for is four quarterbacks going in the top 14. Blake Bortles, Johnny Manziel, Teddy Bridgewater, and Derek Carr are all possibilities to be off the board by the time the Steelers pick.

When you think about it that way, that means the Steelers would be getting a top 11 prospect at another position. It could push an unexpected player down the board like Justin Gilbert, Jake Matthews, or Anthony Barr.

The other, more intriguing, way it could impact the Steelers’ draft, is a trade situation.

If you read the rumor mills it looks like Houston is going Clowney. The Jaguars supposedly like Khalil Mack. Cleveland, Oakland, Tampa Bay, and even St. Louis could use a QB but have been linked to other positions.

You’re seeing a lot of those teams working out guys like Jimmy Garoppolo and Zach Mettenberger because they want those elite position/trenches players early, and to find a signal caller high in round two.

It makes sense. A second round bust doesn’t kill you for years the way a top 10 bust will.

Let’s just say that Manziel, Bridgewater, and Carr are on the board when the Steelers are on the clock. There aren’t any teams needing a quarterback directly behind Pittsburgh; but there are some teams not far like Arizona at 20.

A team that was planning to wait for a QB might start to change their mind if they can grab Manziel with their second pick instead of Garoppolo.

Or, even if they’re not all falling, maybe there’s only one top tier QB left on the board at 15 and a team doesn’t want to miss out on a top tier guy.

I’m speculating a lot here, but my point is that a team at the top of the draft could start getting excited at the possibility of landing a top 10 prospect AND their quarterback.

They could wait while that QB drops past Dallas, Baltimore, etc. but if the Steelers are on the phone and ready to make the deal, a team could just say let’s go get our guy.

I’m just trying to lay out that there are a lot of scenarios where a quarterback needy team could change the Steelers draft in a big way.

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