Trying to find something to latch onto with each QB

[WindyCitySteel]

In anticipation of drafting one of them. At that point, I embrace the positives of whoever it is and throw my support behind them and hope for the best. I'm done mocking, hoping, wishing, analyzing, the fact that all of these so called experts have such varied opinions on them means that nobody really knows.

Help me out here. In no particular order.

Ridder - Still my fav, love the presence in the pocket and ability to run without relying on it. Tools, hearts, smarts, competitor, winner.

Willis - Great athlete, great kid, smart, rocket arm.

Pickett - Hometown fav, great story last year, is he starting a meteoric rise a la Burrow?

Howell - For two years was considered top 5 draft prospect prior to last year's dip, great arm, mobility, deep accuracy.

Corral - Accurate, tough, mobile, played toughest competition, pre-ankle injury last year had 15-1 TD-INT, Chris Simms' #1

Strong - Best arm talent in draft, smart, sees and uses entire field

[Djfan]

I'm still hoping that this is a moot point. Looking for the great D Linemen, WRs, O Line, etc.

If they pick a QB in this first round, I will return here and re-read this post, to build my happiness up. Hoping I don't have to.

[WindyCitySteel]

I'm still hoping that this is a moot point. Looking for the great D Linemen, WRs, O Line, etc.

If they pick a QB in this first round, I will return here and re-read this post, to build my happiness up. Hoping I don't have to.

I kind of hope it's Strong in the 3rd or 4th, so we can get some talent at other positions and not feel too invested in the new QB. For that to happen, though, I think there needs to be an early run on QBs, but I think it's more like we have our pick of the litter as no teams are probably enamored enough to draft one.

That will be telling, in fact - if the first 19 teams, among whom there are several QB needy teams, pass on all these guys will the Steelers also pass or jump on their guy?

[Djfan]

That will be telling, in fact - if the first 19 teams, among whom there are several QB needy teams, pass on all these guys will the Steelers also pass or jump on their guy?

If there is a run on QBs above us, and they are dead set on a QB, we WAAAYYY over pay to jump up. That's another level fear I have.

[flippy]

Good analysis. I'm all over the place in my thoughts on these guys.

Odds are most of these guys will fail. It's hard enough for QBs to be successful when they are consensus top picks.

I think the best odds to succeed are Strong, Pickett, and Corral in that order.

If Strong is healthy enough, he's the one with the arm talent that could make him a top pick. Teams would have to defend a lot of grass against Strong. Get him an elite deep threat early and let it open up the entire Steeler's offense and set up Najee to keep our D off the field.

Pickett has a savvy the others don't and somehow getting to where he is now from where he was tells me he can and is willing to work to get good. As a Pitt fan, he's driven me nuts for years, but somehow he's figuring it out and I think he can be on a trajectory of success.

Corral is on the little side and I'm not sure, but he's got the arm and the release and I think he can be the exception of the small guy that makes it in the league.

Willis, Ridder, and Howell are 3 guys I probably like even better than the others, but there's so many unknowns about their game. I think Jack Coan is on a better upward trajectory and could be the late round steal in this draft.

[SteelerOfDeVille]

Late last night, NFL network was re-airing pro days for many of them.

During interview with Pickett, Aditi actually said to him, "We're hearing player comps of Matt Hasselback, Derek Carr and Andy Dalton" and it actually made me think... Who would MY comps be for these guys? Here goes, simply in order that the comp came to me - not a ranking:

Pickett - I agree with Hasselback comp. I don't see all-pro seasons, but if surrounded by a really good team, could lead them to success

Willis - RG3. Good kid, great athlete, full of upside. For the short term, his speed will give him top 10 plays, but will his inaccuracy cost games?

Ridder - Dak Prescott, good athlete, questionable accuracy. If he fixes the inaccuracy, could be a threat for seasons

Corral - Brett Favre. Has a cannon, but is sometimes overconfident. With an offensive genius, could be all pro. With an idiot, could get lost in this class

Howell - Baker Mayfield, but what the Browns WANTED, not what they got. Much tougher mentally. Take Phillip Rivers head and put it on Baker Mayfield's shoulders.

Strong - Carson Palmer. Live arm, not mobile. If he lands in a traditional "pro-style" system, he could look like the next Manning brother

[flippy]

Who would MY comps be for these guys? Here goes, simply in order that the comp came to me - not a ranking:

Pickett - I agree with Hasselback comp. I don't see all-pro seasons, but if surrounded by a really good team, could lead them to success

Willis - RG3. Good kid, great athlete, full of upside. For the short term, his speed will give him top 10 plays, but will his inaccuracy cost games?

Ridder - Dak Prescott, good athlete, questionable accuracy. If he fixes the inaccuracy, could be a threat for seasons

Corral - Brett Favre. Has a cannon, but is sometimes overconfident. With an offensive genius, could be all pro. With an idiot, could get lost in this class

Howell - Baker Mayfield, but what the Browns WANTED, not what they got. Much tougher mentally. Take Phillip Rivers head and put it on Baker Mayfield's shoulders.

Strong - Carson Palmer. Live arm, not mobile. If he lands in a traditional "pro-style" system, he could look like the next Manning brother

I like this and I'll try to Deville the QBs:

Pickett - Tony Romo

Willis - Steve McNair

Ridder - Justin Fields

Corral - Doug Flutie

Howell - Jalen Hurts

Strong - Matt Ryan

[feltdizz]

I like this and I'll try to Deville the QBs:

Pickett - Tony Romo

Willis - Steve McNair

Ridder - Justin Fields

Corral - Doug Flutie

Howell - Jalen Hurts

Strong - Matt Ryan

Not sure you can use players who have yet to really get their feet wet at QB.

Justin Fields? Way too early for that.

If Willis is the next McNair I wouldn’t be mad if we moved up to get him. McNair was a beast.

[WindyCitySteel]

Corral == Flutie? Why does everyone think Corral is so short? He's taller than Willis and Howell. Everyone is measured at the combine:


https://www.nfl.com/prospects/matt-corral/3200434f-5264-4234-3a2e-d0d8c1f80e47

[SteelerOfDeVille]

Corral == Flutie? Why does everyone think Corral is so short? He's taller than Willis and Howell.
I agree.. yet, I hated to use a HOF guy as a comp (in Favre) but, loved how we all know his story and how he was buried in Atl. I could see Corral's confidence leading to that. As a side note, they're also the same height.

I could seriously see his ceiling as being similar if an offensive guy just lets him air it out...

[SteelerMaine83]

Yeah, I really really hope we don't pick a QB at #20, but if we do, I'll be rooting hard for them.

If we get one, I'd take Ridder. Like his overall skillset and leadership. After watching Willis throwing day, u don't want him in any round. Arm strength is there but not NFL accuracy.

Guess we'll see.

[WindyCitySteel]

I agree.. yet, I hated to use a HOF guy as a comp (in Favre) but, loved how we all know his story and how he was buried in Atl. I could see Corral's confidence leading to that. As a side note, they're also the same height.

I could seriously see his ceiling as being similar if an offensive guy just lets him air it out...

He ran an ungodly number of RPO's, same with Howell, which means there are just more questions about how well they can run a system without so many one-read plays.

[SteelerOfDeVille]

He ran an ungodly number of RPO's, same with Howell, which means there are just more questions about how well they can run a system without so many one-read plays.
which might be a plus for the Steelers, given the offense they want to run...

[flippy]

Not sure you can use players who have yet to really get their feet wet at QB.

Justin Fields? Way too early for that.

If Willis is the next McNair I wouldn’t be mad if we moved up to get him. McNair was a beast.

I couldn’t think of another QB that Ridder reminded me of other than Fields coming out.

Maybe they both remind me a little of Aaron Rodgers moving in the pocket but always looking downfield to make a play with their arms. But I didn’t want to put Rodgers on him cause Ridder doesn’t have his arm.

[flippy]

Corral == Flutie? Why does everyone think Corral is so short? He's taller than Willis and Howell. Everyone is measured at the combine:


https://www.nfl.com/prospects/matt-corral/3200434f-5264-4234-3a2e-d0d8c1f80e47

Why does that have to be a perceived slight on Corral? I always liked Flutie’s style of play.

Even Marv Lewis said Ben reminded him of Flutie and the way he played.

Re: Willis and Howell, those guys are running QBs vs pocket passers and so most people aren’t comparing them to the prototypical pocket passer.

[Northern_Blitz]

I'm trying not to have a favorite so I'm not disappointed if we draft one.

[Joel Buchsbaum]

I'm trying not to have a favorite so I'm not disappointed if we draft one.

What do I think? This qb class sucks. Corral could be good as he is battle-tested in the SEC, but I keep hearing his personality is a problem. But the arm, release, and accuracy vs good competition are there. Pickett looks like he can play, but QB is not a position you settle on. Wills is over rated. So is Ridder, and his accuracy is an issue which can not be dismissed as he played in a lot of games. I kind of like Howell for round two. He can be good if surrounded by talent. People say he's Baker Mayfeild 2.0 but, Mayfield never ran like Howell, doesn't have quite the arm, and isn't built like Howell. Carson Strong? I like the player but hate the medical red flags, oh my. He has the arm and accuracy, but just takes too many sacks which magnifies the injury risk.

[WindyCitySteel]

What do I think? This qb class sucks. Corral could be good as he is battle-tested in the SEC, but I keep hearing his personality is a problem. But the arm, release, and accuracy vs good competition are there. Pickett looks like he can play, but QB is not a position you settle on. Wills is over rated. So is Ridder, and his accuracy is an issue which can not be dismissed as he played in a lot of games. I kind of like Howell for round two. He can be good if surrounded by talent. People say he's Baker Mayfeild 2.0 but, Mayfield never ran like Howell, doesn't have quite the arm, and isn't built like Howell. Carson Strong? I like the player but hate the medical red flags, oh my. He has the arm and accuracy, but just takes too many sacks which magnifies the injury risk.

What if Ridder's accuracy wasn't really an issue?


https://twitter.com/BenjaminSolak/status/1518961244623020032?s=20&t=pOgV1mbGEpxjLkAQjEapvQ

[SteelerOfDeVille]

But I didn’t want to put Rodgers on him cause Ridder doesn’t have his arm.
The guy who put Favre on Corral understands...

[feltdizz]

I wonder how many people saying these QB’s suck or aren’t that good actually watched them play? lol..

[SteelerOfDeVille]

What if Ridder's accuracy wasn't really an issue?


https://twitter.com/BenjaminSolak/status/1518961244623020032?s=20&t=pOgV1mbGEpxjLkAQjEapvQ
if it wasn't... he wouldn't have had so many hit the ground during his pro day with no pressure.

Also, understand that this individual had a narrative to prove.

The term "catchable" does not mean well-placed. "Threw into traffic and coulda been caught but the WR was decapitated and dropped" is still catchable.
Nevermind the option of "threw behind the RB on a screen, but it was catchable"...

[Joel Buchsbaum]

I wonder how many people saying these QB’s suck or aren’t that good actually watched them play? lol..

Okay, 5 QB's went in round one last year. Well see how many go this year, I bet a lot less. That is by watching most of them play, or at the least studying their game film, stats and paying attention to their level of comptetion.

[WindyCitySteel]

if it wasn't... he wouldn't have had so many hit the ground during his pro day with no pressure.

Also, understand that this individual had a narrative to prove.

The term "catchable" does not mean well-placed. "Threw into traffic and coulda been caught but the WR was decapitated and dropped" is still catchable.
Nevermind the option of "threw behind the RB on a screen, but it was catchable"...

Did PFF, who he also quoted in that thread, also have an agenda by listing him 3rd in the class in accuracy, and not by a whole lot?

They way you hear most talking heads and fans who listen to said talking heads, he is the worst in the class.

[Joel Buchsbaum]

if it wasn't... he wouldn't have had so many hit the ground during his pro day with no pressure.

Also, understand that this individual had a narrative to prove.

The term "catchable" does not mean well-placed. "Threw into traffic and coulda been caught but the WR was decapitated and dropped" is still catchable.
Nevermind the option of "threw behind the RB on a screen, but it was catchable"...

Well, last year he was only 64.9% complete and threw for 226 yard per game. They year before he threw for a measly 166.5 per game...in a non power five conference. This would be less than 60% in the SEC. He's not a passer by any means according the NFL standards and he's been starting four seasons. That how I elveluate. I see a project with plenty of experience telling me that you can't play the he only starter for 1 year in regards to his accuracy as if it's due to lack of experience. That' s my narrative. You are free to disagree or agree with it.

By contrast Caron Wentz who's mediocre in the nfl completed 76.5 % in hie non power 5 college days. I don't see the accuracy in print for Ridder, do you?

[feltdizz]

Okay, 5 5 QB's went in round one last year. Well see how many go this year, I bet a lot less. That is by watching most of them play, or at the least studying their game film, stats and paying attention to their level of comptetion.

I didn’t say anything about where they will go. I’m more concerned with how they perform once selected.

Mitch went 2nd and he held a clip board past year. Going high doesn’t mean you are good, just means someone thinks you are going to be good.

Just wondering how many actually did the homework vs copying off someone else’s paper.

also, I never watched Strong or Willis in live games so I’m not high on them but I can’t say they suck.. no idea.

[flippy]

The guy who put Favre on Corral understands...

The guy who put Flutie on Corral laughs at your comment :)

Seriously, it's hard to make a comparison cause you know it's not exact, but the second you make a comparison, everyone see how they don't compare vs seeing how they do....

[SteelerOfDeVille]

The guy who put Flutie on Corral laughs at your comment :)

Seriously, it's hard to make a comparison cause you know it's not exact, but the second you make a comparison, everyone see how they don't compare vs seeing how they do....
It's very hard, because they aren't all identical. Hell, identical twins aren't identical. It's more like think of a RB and saying "the way he jump cuts reminds me of Barry Sanders..." but that does NOT mean he'll have 3-yard runs that cover 50 yards.

In my mind, it's a talent set comp...

[Northern_Blitz]

The guy who put Flutie on Corral laughs at your comment :)

Seriously, it's hard to make a comparison cause you know it's not exact, but the second you make a comparison, everyone see how they don't compare vs seeing how they do....

And comparisons get confusing because you know the results of the guy they are comparing to.

Someone can look like TJ as a college prospect. Raw but with a good set of skills.

How many guys use that raw material and become great? Not many.

[Captain Lemming]

Why does that have to be a perceived slight on Corral? I always liked Flutie’s style of play.

Even Marv Lewis said Ben reminded him of Flutie and the way he played.

Re: Willis and Howell, those guys are running QBs vs pocket passers and so most people aren’t comparing them to the prototypical pocket passer.

Flutie was NOTHING BUT DIMINUTIVE. Nobody remembers his PLAY. :)

Flutie is like the "Prince" of QBs.

When you think of Prince what do you think of? Music? Of course not.

When you think of Prince all that you think of is THAT IS ONE TINY DUDE.

Flutie is kinda like that. :)

[Captain Lemming]

And comparisons get confusing because you know the results of the guy they are comparing to.

Someone can look like TJ as a college prospect. Raw but with a good set of skills.

How many guys use that raw material and become great? Not many.

That's right. And TJ is a great example. But he is the VICTIM of unfair comparisons.

I remember fools setting the poor guy up for failure by continually bringing up his brother JJ.

NOBODY should have that kind of ridiculous expectation before even playing a down.

What if TJ never ever wins another DPOY. He only has ONE. JJ has multiple!

What a disappointment. :)

[Northern_Blitz]

Flutie was NOTHING BUT DIMINUTIVE. Nobody remembers his PLAY. :)

Flutie is like the "Prince" of QBs.

When you think of Prince what do you think of? Music? Of course not.

When you think of Prince all that you think of is THAT IS ONE TINY DUDE.

Flutie is kinda like that. :)

Unless you're a fan of the CFL.

Then you remember Flutie as the best QB ever!

[flippy]

On Draft Eve, I'm once again rethinking my QB rankings.

Here's the latest Flippy thinking:

1st round talent - Corral, Strong
2nd-4th round talent - Pickett, Willis, Ridder, Howell
5th-7th round talent - Coan

Also note, I am glad I am not a scout. I seriously can't make up my mind on these guys. Maybe it's a sign that when you need a position you tend to overthink it if you force yourself to make a pick vs just letting the draft come to you. The Steelers must struggle with this if they feel forced to make a QB decision.

[Joel Buchsbaum]

On Draft Eve, I'm once again rethinking my QB rankings.

Here's the latest Flippy thinking:

1st round talent - Corral, Strong
2nd-4th round talent - Pickett, Willis, Ridder, Howell
5th-7th round talent - Coan

Also note, I am glad I am not a scout. I seriously can't make up my mind on these guys. Maybe it's a sign that when you need a position you tend to overthink it if you force yourself to make a pick vs just letting the draft come to you. The Steelers must struggle with this if they feel forced to make a QB decision.

Here is one way to look at it. If these QB were in last year's draft, where would they rank? 5, or 6, and that is the best one. I liked Mac Jones, and he is the only one to have a decent year. Needs better playmakers and to add the deep ball, though. I still can't believe where Lance went.

Trust your eyes. Corral is decent, he also has a questionable personality and is dumb as a rock. Take the test and you'll know what I am talking about.

[flippy]

Here is one way to look at it. If these QB were in last year's draft, where would they rank? 5, or 6, and that is the best one. I liked Mac Jones, and he is the only one to have a decent year. Needs better playmakers and to add the deep ball, though. I still can't believe where Lance went.

Trust your eyes. Corral is decent, he also has a questionable personality and is dumb as a rock. Take the test and you'll know what I am talking about.


I think the hard part for us is we can watch these guys play and make our best judgements, but we aren't part of the interviews and I think 90%+ of the game is mental.

Piecing together a guy's desire,work ethic, leadership, etc. is the hard part and that's our guess and where we have to trust the team is figuring this stuff out.

And Tomlin speaks of the intangibles as being the most important part.

I think there's a couple guys that stand out in confidence, leadership, etc. And those guys are Howell, Strong, and Ridder.

Then when you look at a guy like Pickett, I can see where he could have the work ethic to be the most successful and while he's no where close to perfect, his progression in the last season was pretty impressive.

If I look at these guys in comparison to last year's draft, I still see Corral and Strong slotting in after Lawrence and Wilson. Without the knee issue, I could see Strong being a top 5-10 guy.

Go back a year and there's probably a stronger case for Howell as a 1st rounder and I could see him going ahead of Mac Jones.

I might see someone taking a chance on Pickett in round 1 based on interviews/intangibles. He doesn't have all the physical tools, but if he works hard, I could see him working his way into being a top 10-15 QB in the league???

[feltdizz]

On Draft Eve, I'm once again rethinking my QB rankings.

Here's the latest Flippy thinking:

1st round talent - Corral, Strong
2nd-4th round talent - Pickett, Willis, Ridder, Howell
5th-7th round talent - Coan

Also note, I am glad I am not a scout. I seriously can't make up my mind on these guys. Maybe it's a sign that when you need a position you tend to overthink it if you force yourself to make a pick vs just letting the draft come to you. The Steelers must struggle with this if they feel forced to make a QB decision.

this looks like a wish list not a mock.. lol.

I haven’t heard any chatter about Strong being one of the first off the board.

[steeler_fan_in_t.o.]

Also note, I am glad I am not a scout. I seriously can't make up my mind on these guys. Maybe it's a sign that when you need a position you tend to overthink it if you force yourself to make a pick vs just letting the draft come to you. The Steelers must struggle with this if they feel forced to make a QB decision.

Look at the difference between this year and a year like last year. Last year everyone knew that the standard was Lawrence. Pundits then spent the entire off-season looking for a reason to knock one guy off the top of the mountain.

It was - "that Wilson kid is raw but with some coaching up he can have a higher ceiling" then "Trey Lance, you can't teach that kind of athleticism", "Mac Jones is already pro-ready, he can step in tomorrow and be the NFL QB of the future" etc.

But everyone always then went back to "the" guy. That is because there was a guy standing at the top of the mountain. This year there is a hill and nobody has firmly stood atop it. Every new #1 guy is not because we are looking for a reason to knock the top guy down, it is because everyone is desperately looking for a number one guy who is not there.

[NorthCoast]

I think the hard part for us is we can watch these guys play and make our best judgements, but we aren't part of the interviews and I think 90%+ of the game is mental.

Piecing together a guy's desire,work ethic, leadership, etc. is the hard part and that's our guess and where we have to trust the team is figuring this stuff out.

And Tomlin speaks of the intangibles as being the most important part.

I think there's a couple guys that stand out in confidence, leadership, etc. And those guys are Howell, Strong, and Ridder.

Then when you look at a guy like Pickett, I can see where he could have the work ethic to be the most successful and while he's no where close to perfect, his progression in the last season was pretty impressive.

If I look at these guys in comparison to last year's draft, I still see Corral and Strong slotting in after Lawrence and Wilson. Without the knee issue, I could see Strong being a top 5-10 guy.

Go back a year and there's probably a stronger case for Howell as a 1st rounder and I could see him going ahead of Mac Jones.

I might see someone taking a chance on Pickett in round 1 based on interviews/intangibles. He doesn't have all the physical tools, but if he works hard, I could see him working his way into being a top 10-15 QB in the league???All true for sure. But even the pros struggle with knowing what to focus on when drafting a QB. An interesting example that many might not appreciate is GB and Aaron Rodgers. Did you know that after he was drafted GB actually drafted another three QBs before Rodgers even started a game?! Think about it. They had a HOF'r sitting there and they go and draft Brohm and Flynn (the other QB was a Rd 7 flyer). Brohm actually had all the college stats compared to Rodgers and yet look where their careers went.

It's just so darn hard...

[flippy]

All true for sure. But even the pros struggle with knowing what to focus on when drafting a QB. An interesting example that many might not appreciate is GB and Aaron Rodgers. Did you know that after he was drafted GB actually drafted another three QBs before Rodgers even started a game?! Think about it. They had a HOF'r sitting there and they go and draft Brohm and Flynn (the other QB was a Rd 7 flyer). Brohm actually had all the college stats compared to Rodgers and yet look where their careers went.

It's just so darn hard...

Maybe Mason is the chosen one :)