Ben's Replacement

I think Ben hangs them up sooner than most think. I could see it even after the 2018 season. I don't know if a 2017 first rounder would be a consideration as I think we'll be drafting in the late 1st, and of course it will depend on who falls. Browns, Jets, Redskins (depending on KC negotiations), Chicago, San Fran are probably the teams looking to go with a first rounder or early 2nd. But I wouldn't be surprised if the Steelers take one in the 2nd or 3rd.

You can bet the FO will have discussions with Ben on his career plans this offseason and if they take a guy relatively high (first 3 rounds) one could assume Ben gave them indications of an earlier than expected retirement. If no QBs are taken in the next draft then maybe we can assume Ben said he's good to go for another 4-5yrs. It will be interesting to see how the draft plays out in that regard and if anything can be taken from it when adding in what they do with Landry Jones this offseason (he's in his last contract year correct?)

 

To those saying the steelers should draft a QB next year, how about throwing some names out there. I'm not seeing much at QB coming out this year. Am i missing something?

 

I don't know but that guy in your avatar looks innocent lol

 

i agree knox and thats what i've been saying. ya know if we draft one this year from a weak class, we will not draft another one the following year or the year after when there could be some better talent. we tend to stick with who we went with too long at times. i still think LJ is going to keep getting better too. we could do much much worse than a guy that still has upside and has been in the system from the start.

 

Personally, I'm not saying they should. It would not surprise me if they did or did not draft one in 2017. But they better look long and hard in 2018 because I can see Ben retiring in 3 years.

As for names, I've really only watched the B1G this year and sparingly at that. It will have to be offseason before I could hazard a guess. Not thrilled in the least with the B1G ones I've seen - Armstrong (Neb) Leidner (Minn) Beathard (Iowa) Barrett (OSU)

 

Ok didn't know that! It's all in fun!

 

NO
YOU'RE A GREEN FONT
YOU KNOW YOU ARE
LOL

 

Ben won't retire. He will have to be cut. That's his make up and that of many good players. They always think they have one more year in them. They are competitors.

 

Also agreeing that when we draft, any QB available will not be of the caliber worthy of the pick. Not this coming draft. I'm not sure there are two first round QB picks in this coming draft.

 

I'd be surprised to see even one 1st round caliber QB. If a QB gets drafted in the 1st round then it was either a reach by the team making the pick or an incredible marketing job.

 

I agree.

Also, while I can see why people are saying 'pick a guy and allow him to sit', my suspicion is that Ben wouldn't see it that way. The likelihood of having an unhappy franchise QB and an unready back up is high.

 

There is Kiser, Watson, kid from Northwestern, Trbursky from NC. There out there Knox our scouts
and evaluaters got to find them.

 

it depends on who goes pro. watson scares me. he's to careless passing at times and so is kaaya and kelly. the kid from central mich. may be worth a look but he may go early. i still think we wait another year.

 

Wait another year at least. This is not a good year for QB talent. For every Dak Prescott there is at least two Ryan Leaf's. The freshman QB at Georgia looks to be pretty good. The FSU QB could be pretty good also. Seems like UCLA and USC along with Washington have good QB's. But I think all of those guys are pretty young.

 

Assuming we will have a two year window to groom bens replacement ,Here is a later round QB prospect who could learn our system and be brought along for a couple of years at a cheaper price without wasting a 1st round pick on him, he's from a small school Montana, and has been compared to wentz only bigger at 6-7:

WED SEP. 14, 2016
In Search of ‘The Next Carson Wentz’


Combing the FCS ranks for the next top QB prospect, the search came across Brady Gustafson, a 6'7" passer from Montana who beat Wentz in his first career start

by Emily Kaplan


Photo: Patrick Record/AP


When I say his footwork looked far improved from a handful of plays I had seen on film, Gustafson turns to self-deprecation: “I mean, look at me,” he says, pointing to his size-15 feet. “I’m kind of a goofy guy, I’m kind of awkward. So yeah, I needed to work on my footwork, and I guess it’s getting there.”

The Billings, Mont., native looks the part. His tall frame is filled out by a thick, muscular body. One evaluator said Gustafson is like Sean Mannion, but with a stronger arm. Gustafson’s arm is impressive; during warmups I watched him throw tight, beautiful spiral after tight, beautiful spiral. In the game, the ball zipped out of his hand. And the parallels to Wentz are eerie. They’re both high honors students. They both played for FCS schools a bit off the beaten college football track. Gustafson—like Wentz—missed time with a significant injury his junior season. (For Gustafson, it was six weeks with a broken leg.) Last season was his first year as a starter, and Gustafson could enter the NFL with fewer than 20 career starts at the collegiate level.

Gustafson is a sub-60 percent passer (57.5 percent this year, 57.2 career), but he has been victimized by a lot of drops. The game I saw felt like a microcosm of his inconsistencies: He flashed on a couple beautiful plays, including a pump fake and gorgeous 30-yard touch pass (his wideout bobbled the ball) and a deep out from the far hash for an 11-yard gain on third-and-10 in the fourth quarter. He also had a hard time drawing the safety away with his eyes (“this is the last part of his game that needs perfecting,” says Grizzlies coach Bob Stitt) and had a few flat-footed throws, as well as one where he short-armed a ball that one-hopped a wide-open receiver.

All of those aspects of his game can be developed. Raw talent cannot.

 

I don't really like the QB class this year, I would rather purge another NFL teams QB and look to draft 1 in the next draft ...

 

None of those guys are 1st round talent that a team would draft to be a franchise QB. It is not the norm to expect a 3-6 rounder to be become a BR type all pro QB. It could happen but you can't bank on it. The guys you mention would be backup type QBs to see if they could be developed into a starter. But we already have 2 guys like that on the team and don't need a third. I just don't see BRs replacement in this draft.

 

I'd take a look at Garrett Grayson, he's stuck on the Saints practice squad.

 

I think the problem with taking a QB to be the future at this point is he will be in a contract year by the time Ben retires and you won't know what you have got. Ben is surrounded by the best talent on Offense he has ever had....He is not going anywhere anytime soon IMO

HACK

 

Not a bad name there, 4 sure worth a look...I still like Marquis Williams and Joe Webb ..I think these guys can be solid QB'S as well...Not great ,but solid ...I also think Tyrod could be good if Coached correctly...

 

Agree and if they don't think there is a franchise type QB this year then go to next year. The point is to start looking now for that guy, and when you see him in the draft go get him, no matter what it takes.

 

Exactly right JAD. This and next year are the perfect time to add the heir apparent.

 

next year legow from indiana is a guy i'm watching. shor from james madison is impressive, keep an eye on him. burrow from ohio state. within the next year or two these are guys i'm watching.

 

Joe webb got beat out in MIN. He will be old right behind Ben