Cowher talks QB situation, more

I miss having a real head coach

 

But you still need to make draft picks based on educated guesses not knee jerk reactions

Never reach much for a quarterback it’s a wasted pick typically

 

Convoluting things is the relative lack of cornerstone players they've been able to draft and develop between 2018-2022 that's caught up to them. It's created holes and made every draft pick feel like a precious commodity.

IMO, they should have leveraged their cap surplus this offseason to acquire a player or two back to compensate, but instead they went with mainly one-year deals and depth signings, presumably to protect any comp picks they could receive next year. Problem there is a proven player can be more valuable than a draft pick, signing a couple of guys wouldn't have erased all of the picks they could potentially receive, and it takes more capital than a few comp picks to make a significant move in the opening round to get a touted QB (if that's their plan).

Quick look at those drafts:

2022
Pickett
Pickens (entering last year of contract)
Leal
Austin III
Heyward
Robinson
Oladokun

2021
Harris
Freiermuth
Green
Moore, Jr. (high $ contract elsewhere)
Johnson
Loudermilk (moved up to select)
Roche
Norwood
Harvin III

2020
(Fitzpatrick)
Claypool
Highsmith
McFarland, Jr
Dotson (traded, then received high $ extension)
Brooks, Jr
Davis
Warren (UDFA)

2019
Bush, Jr (first and second round capital)
Johnson
Layne
Snell, Jr
Gentry
Smith
Buggs
Gilbert
Gray

2018
Edmunds
Washington
Rudolph
Okorafor
Allen
Samuels
Frazier

Obviously, no one's perfect in the draft - especially in the later rounds - but you like to see a few more impact players from your earlier selections, and have a few values emerge from your Day 3 picks. The Okorafor and Moore, Jr. contracts appear to be overpays, but that adds to the concern of their not finding and developing more top talent. Khan and Weidl's drafts have seemed better early in this regard, but they're still playing catch up. (I also question Khan's protracted negotiations over Aiyuk last year, that eventually led to trading a 5th for a barely-used Williams, as well as the scenario unfolding around the QB situation and Rodgers this offseason. But that's for a different discussion.)

Still, I agree that they have to keep trying; QB is too important a position. I'm just leery on how much they want to invest on this class, especially down a second.

 

When you look at those drafts listed out like that, eeessshhh.

 

I know, I got a little depressed doing it

 

I'm not sure why you would assume I was saying draft whichever QB happens to be left in the 1st or whenever. Obviously this comes with scouting of the QB class, placing values on the QBs, as well as all the other evals concerned.
I don't think this is a terrible QB class. I think that is where much of the argument against drafting a QB comes from. Because the 'experts'' have deemed it so.

The Steelers have a draft gap from 21-83. Any QB that has a value within that range by the Steelers brass, has to be in play. Whether at 21 or at 83.

I think it is more of a knee-jerk reaction to just go by what the so called experts say on social media and scout sites. They get paid for content, not for running football teams.

We know Skylar Thompson and Mason Rudolph are not where we want to be at the QB position.
Signing Russ or ARod is a band-aid at best.


Besides kicking the can down the road hoping to get our guy in the next draft or the next, which I don't want to do. What option do we have?

 

There's a middle ground to be had. I'm no expert, but I've got my own feelings on which QB I'd feel good about them taking and where. If you like certain guys more or less, that's fine. Just because we might differ doesn't mean I'm going with some knee-jerk reaction to what some analyst said.

 

Pretty sure I was generalizing.

 

It was rhetorical, but maybe someone else doesn't know.
I agree too.

 

Didn't say you weren't.

 

You can't know anything before you draft anyone. Therefore you use your judgement, everyone said Pickett's class was lousy and it was....

So you wait for a better class which is coming in '26...

 

Just for clarification... how do you know '26 will be better than who we might draft this year?

 

I put him in there for you and for Mac. I figured he'd want to remind me that one of their better recent draft moves was a UDFA.

 

One of the better ones, yes. I still like Pickens(some don't), CA3, Highsmith, and Muuuth over Warren. But Warren does rank in the top 5 from the list.

2023&2024 both look to be decent drafts by comparison as well.

 

The overwhelming consensus is that this years class is terrible and next years will be much better. When trying to determine an uncertain outcome or quantify a somewhat unknowable resource I'd go with the best available info and going with that, rather than just throwing a high draft pick at it and hoping.

Just for clarification who do you think is worthy of the Steelers 1st or 3rd round pick?

 

Our GM's have made some brilliant moves in their first 2 drafts, but if you dont have the coaching staff to develop these players and a head coach to set the culture and direction of winning ... then, you could have an all-pro player's roster and never achieve anything. Sound familiar?!

 

That is not the question. There will be a total of X QBs taken in the 2025 NFL draft. Which QBs fit the Steelers offense should be the question. Because some will.
Just going off the prospect list, I'm not much on Milroe, Gabriel, Ewers, or a few others. But here's the thing. If the Steelers like one of the QBs enough to draft him, AND think he can develop into a starter, then draft him. 1st/3rd/whatever.

 

Wow ... I was listening to coach Cowher again. When he got to the part about when we got Bettis in free agency ... he said if they weren't able to get Jerome Bettis that he was gonna draft Eddie George ... thats a win win decision right there.

 

Bettis was acquired via trade. I remember it because the Rams weren't able to turn the two picks they received from the Steelers in the following year's draft into anything. But their new coach at the time wanted to make the offense more pass-orientated and supposedly asked Bettis if he'd rather become a fullback or be traded.

And the rest is history.

 

No the first question should be "Are they good enough to be a Franchise QB"? - if they don't then don't draft them. This is class is piss weak, wait until next year.

 

And back to square 1.


Nobody knows if the class is weak or strong until they actually play in the NFL. The next class is 'perceived' stronger but we don't even know who will be in that class at this time. So it is pure speculation currently. Arguing which class will be better is just plain dumb. Waiting on your perfect spot to draft a QB when you need a QB is just plain dumb. That's strictly my opinion.
This class has Ward, Sanders, Dart, Ewers, Milroe, Howard, and McCord that will all almost certainly be drafted in round 1or2. IF...we want to draft one of those QBs, we don't have the luxury to wait until 83. That's just how it looks today. Our position may change.
Signing ARod changes nothing, IMO. He will not be here long enough to be the future of this team.
If we're kicking the can down the road till the end of Tomlin's contract, waiting still doesn't make sense.
Right back to square 1. I don't want to wait for my reasons. You want to wait for your reasons. We both want the same end result.

 

Well, it's assumed that no-one knows whether the class will prove to be strong or weak for sure, but it's also assumed you accept that when amking a decision, therefore you go on the info you do have which just like KP's draft it looks weak. Signed darkness retreat is beyond stupid he is a toxic old has been who will chew up too much money for 2 many years - (1 or 2 years it's still a huge waste ona team going nowhere).

Speculating about talent is not dumb, people are highly paid to do just that, and as fans we have the right to an opinion. Milroe? have you ever seen Milroe try and play QB? that's just one example of how poor this class is.

Making a a reach pick on a 1st round QB never makes any sense whatsoever, it's THE WORST use of resources imaginable, especially as we have already spent our 2nd round pick, look at how reaching for a QB turned out last time...and you don't have the patience to wait for something better?