It’s quarterback week here at Fifth Avenue Sports!

With the NFL season just days away from officially concluding, the Pittsburgh Steelers are entering another a pivotal offseason. In what has become almost an annual tradition now, the Steelers will embark on another search for a quarterback.

With several options to weigh, I wanted to try and get some thoughts down on each one. In this miniseries, I’ll try to argue for and against each of the options the Steelers have at quarterback heading into next season. I’ll probably contradict myself plenty of times during this, but what I’m trying to do is lay out a reasonable argument for both sides.

For today, let’s talk about one of the more controversial ideas. Let’s discuss drafting a quarterback this year.

The Argument For

Aside from Fernando Mendoza, there’s no name that really stands out this year in the draft.

Ty Simpson will play second fiddle, and other names like Garrett Nussmeier, Drew Allar, and potentially Trinidad Chambliss (if he loses his court battle with the NCAA) help round out what is, right now, a pretty underwhelming position group.

The shortcomings of Kenny Pickett, the Pitt product who the Steelers drafted 20th overall in 2022, have haunted the Steelers ever since. Not only has it led to the Steelers starting two different quarterbacks after drafting Pickett and an additional three after trading him away, the Steelers are now caught in a cycle of revolving free-agent signings and trades to patchwork the position.

But, Pickett is no excuse to not try your luck in the draft once again. Sometimes, you just need to keep swingin’. The Steelers have emphasized several times over the last few years that you don’t have to bottom out to land your future guy. And based on Art Rooney II’s comments on a potential rebuild, it sounds like they don’t intend to go that route, anyways.

So, if the Steelers are hellbent on trying to find someone late in the first or with a second/third day pick, why not take a flyer on someone this year? Simpson will probably be available in the second round, and some of the other aforementioned names could be nabbed later in the draft as well.

Sure, they won’t come in and start right away, but maybe with a few years of proper development, they could blossom into an NFL starter. One of the benefits of hiring Mike McCarthy as the next head coach is his strong résumé in working with quarterbacks. If there’s an arm in this draft that he really likes, why not let him try and work with that talent?

Thanks to some trades and pending compensatory picks, the Steelers will have a bunch of draft capital come April. Unless they package a bunch of them to move up at some point, they could afford to spend one on a mid-round quarterback and just see what happens.

If the Steelers bring back Aaron Rodgers for another year, both he and Will Howard can potentially compete for the starting job in 2027. If there’s someone they really like, go for it.

The Argument Against

This is an incredibly weak quarterback draft, and the last thing the Steelers should do is try and force a pick to work out.

That’s what they did with Pickett four years ago. In a similar situation to where they are now, the Steelers reached with their first rounder and spent two years trying to make things work. In his rookie season, he had flashes, but when he was expected to take that next step in 2023, he stumbled.

Now, you can find first round misses in any organization. I’m not here to necessarily fault the Steelers for trying to draft a quarterback there. But, I do think the Pickett experience taught the Steelers about trying to will something into existence that was never really there. If Pickett was drafted in the fourth round and spent his career largely as a backup, people wouldn’t have nearly as much criticism for him.

Instead, because he had such high hopes and expectations placed on him and will forever carry the label of a first-round pick, there’s more eyes on him. The same will be true of any quarterback the Steelers draft in, say, the top 64.

The last thing the Steelers can do is whiff on another high-end pick. You thought the Pickett discourse was rough? Oh man, just you wait.

And once you get into the third round and beyond, the likelihood of that pick developing into your future starter is pretty low. How confident can you be that you’re getting the next Dak Prescott if you take a guy in the fourth round? Or Brock Purdy in the seventh?

If you can hang on for this upcoming season and have someone get you through it (whether that’s Rodgers, Will Howard, or someone else) you can gear up for your bigger and, in theory, more secure pick in 2027.

Unless someone falls into your lap at the draft table, making a play to take someone in this year’s draft feels like a risky pick for a team that could better use those assets other places.