Sleeper NFL Draft QB Targets for Steelers

During the 2023-2024 NFL season, the Pittsburgh Steelers had a few glaring problems. The first one was the offensive coordinator, and the other was the underwhelming performance of quarterbacks before Mason Rudolph’s late-season magic. The first problem recently got addressed when the Steelers hired former Atlanta Falcons head coach, Arthur Smith. However, the second problem is still floating around the Steelers organization with Kenny Pickett and Mitchell Trubisky the other quarterbacks on the depth chart as it stands today. Mason Rudolph and the Pittsburgh Steelers have been rumored to have a mutual interest in bringing Rudolph back next season, however, nothing is for certain. Mitchell Trubisky has been rumored to be a player to cut ties with this offseason due to his play and contract situation. So, as of right now, Pickett is the only quarterback on the team’s depth chart right now that will for sure be on the team next season. So where do the Steelers go from here? Do they sign a veteran quarterback like Ryan Tannehill? Do they go out and trade for Justin Fields? Do they move up in the draft to select a top prospect like Jayden Daniels or Michael Penix? 

The move that has not been talked about enough is targeting a high upside mid to late-round quarterback like Jordan Travis from FSU or Joe Milton from Tennessee. Both of these quarterbacks would not likely be the week one starter, Jordan Travis is healing from a brutal injury that derailed the Seminole's CFP push and Joe Milton needs to clean up a lot of fundamentals before stepping onto an NFL field. The one thing that is common between these two quarterbacks is the upside. Jordan Travis was rumored to have been selected in the first or second round of the upcoming NFL Draft, but with the injury, he is likely going to be a day three pick in the NFL Draft due to the uncertainty of his performance post-injury. At Florida State, Jordan Travis was in Heisman talks leading the Seminoles to a nearly perfect season where he threw for 2,756 yards, 20 TD’s, and just 2 INT’s. He was also ranked 14th in QBR with an impressive 80.1. While Travis heals from his injury, he can take time on the Steelers practice squad to learn from coaches and ramp up his physical health before competing to maybe steal the job away from Pickett, Rudolph, or a veteran QB the Steelers might bring in. 

Joe Milton is a guy that is interesting to me. Milton has a lot of strengths in terms of how he plays the game. However, there are a few glaring weaknesses that need to be fixed for him to have a successful career in the NFL. In terms of physical attributes, Milton had a 6’5 frame and weighed 235 pounds. This allows teams to not have to worry about him not being able to read the defense mid-play due to his height as well as not being able to be taken down as easily as others. In terms of his quarterback performance, Milton has a very quick release when throwing the ball. This gives him the advantage in pass breakup scenarios along with being able to easier sling the ball when blitzes are called by the opposing defenses. Another great trait about Milton is his arm strength, which ranked in the upper percentile compared to other college quarterbacks. Milton also has the speed in his legs to be able to scramble out of the pocket and turn up field for a big gain. However, some of his weaknesses are holding him back from being selected earlier in the NFL Draft. Milton only has started 17 college games following Hendon Hooker’s stint with the Vols. So, teams will be wondering if this was just a lucky stretch. Another problem he has, which we have also seen with Kenny Pickett is his inability to read all of the routes mid-play which leads to him locking into one route/player. Overall, in 2023, Joe Milton threw for 2,813 yards, 20 TD’s and 5 INT’s. Milton also ran for 299 yards and tallied 7 rushing TDs, most came within the red zone. Currently, sites are projecting him to get selected as early as the fourth round, but also as late as the sixth round. 

Overall, the quarterback decision will be a great dilemma to sort out for this Pittsburgh Steelers team. Do you stick with former first-round selection Kenny Pickett with an experienced offensive coordinator? Do you bring back Mason Rudolph and allow an open competition between both Kenny and Mason? Do you bring in a quarterback from FA/trade like Ryan Tannehill or Justin Fields? Do you draft a high-caliber quarterback in the first round? Though all of these options will be discussed later on, I believe that letting Kenny and Mason battle for the QB1 spot for 2024 while bringing in a high-upside late-round QB pick like Travis or Milton to see if they can develop could be a good low-cost strategy for the Pittsburgh Steelers.