By Tim Clark / / Column, Tim's Two Cents
Two

The Steelers have been searching for their next franchise quarterback since Ben Roethlisberger limped and gimped his way through his last two seasons. For a variety of reasons, the Steelers have failed miserably to find their next big time quarterback. It feels a little like a game of Operation, and the Steelers have demonstrated very shaky hands.

Buzz.

Since Roethlisberger hobbled off into the sunset, the Steelers have trotted out Mitch Trubisky, Mason Rudolph, Kenny Pickett, Justin Fields, Russell Wilson, and Grandpa Rodgers. They all were just good enough to win 9 or 10 games, and not remotely good enough to contend.

Last year the Steelers drafted Will Howard in the sixth round of the draft. Howard is destined to be a backup in the NFL. So, who’s next?

I stated in last week’s column and on my Wall2WallFootball podcast that I thought the Steelers had to keep trying to find their next quarterback. My preference was Drew Allar in the third round. The kid is big, agile enough, and has a huge arm.

Friday night the Steelers drafted Drew Allar in the third round.

The pick sent Steeler Nation in all kinds of directions. Some, including some of my Penn State friends, headed for the nearest bridge. Meanwhile, other fans were hopeful that Allar can become the future.

Allar certainly has warts. When he throws swing passes at the feet of his running backs, that is a problem. Too often his intermediate passes were off target. My biggest concern with Allar was his mental toughness. I saw pouting too often on the sideline.

On the other hand, Allar’s 6’5” 228 pound frame should remind Steeler fans of the last great quarterback in Pittsburgh. So, too, should his big arm. For all the off target throws one can find on Allar’s film, there are plenty of big time throws in there as well.

There is absolutely no question Allar was poorly coached at Penn State. He was the proverbial square peg James Franklin and crew were trying to jam in to their round hole of an offense. Allar also had maybe the worst wide receivers in the Big Ten. Two seasons ago, Allar had a safety blanket named Tyler Warren. Allar and Warren led the Nittany Lions to within one play of the national championship game. Last year, with Warren off to the NFL, Penn State’s season jumped off the rails and Allar eventually suffered a season ending injury.

As for the mental toughness, Caleb Williams is a very recent case study that shows it can improve. Williams was tabbed as mentally weak —more because he paints his fingernails that any other reason— and he displayed some mentality issues in his rookie season. Enter Ben Johnson as Bears head coach, put Williams in a successful offensive system, and suddenly he went from weak to team leader.

If Mike McCarthy is the quarterback guru his resume says he is, then Allar could quickly improve on his throwing mechanics and develop some thicker skin.

Regardless, the point here is a third round pick was well worth the risk of finding your next franchise quarterback. This wasn’t the Kenny Pickett first round reach of a few years ago. The good news —or bad depending on perspective— is that Allar will have the chance to pick the brain of Aaron Rodgers for an entire year. Allar is a sponge when it comes to football, so working with Rodgers should benefit Allar greatly. It is the only marginally good reason for hanging on to Rodgers for one more year. Quite frankly I would be fine with not signing Rodgers and letting McCarthy do all of the teaching to Allar(and Will Howard). 

I don’t know if Allar becomes the next Bradshaw or Roethlisberger, or if he becomes the next Mike Tomczak or Mark Malone. The fact of the matter is that a third round pick was not a reach for drafting Allar. It was a reasonable risk to draft a quarterback that just a year ago was projected as a potential first pick in the draft. A large component of the draft is risk/reward.

You can’t teach 6’5” and a cannon arm. You can teach mechanics, and you can improve mental toughness.

I think Allar has a decent chance to become the Steelers next long term answer at quarterback. If he doesn’t pan out, it was still worth the chance. Hopefully this will end the search, avoiding the 20 year search the team waded through after Terry Bradshaw retired.

The risk was taken, now it is up to Drew Allar to give the Steelers the reward.

The rest of the Steelers draft

This is the part That gets ugly.

It turns out Allar may have been the Steelers best pick in the draft. It all began in a well lit draft room where the Steelers “brain trust” watched dynamic wide receiver —a position they desperately need to upgrade— Makai Lemon drop towards the Steelers pick at 21. The Steelers, loaded with extra picks, chose to sit tight hoping Lemon would fall into their laps.

That passivity cost them as an eagle came swooping in to the position right in front of the Steelers. Making matters more embarrassing, the Steelers were on the phone with Lemon to let him know they were picking him. Lemon replied, “Why is Philly calling me?”

Yoi and double yoi.

That sent the Steelers scrambling and reaching for an offensive tackle with supposed upside. They took every second to make that pick, so don’t believe them when they say Max Iheanachor was their guy all along. The Steelers got duped and regardless of the careers of the two players, it was embarrassing.

Having said that, the Steelers might have a hidden gem in Iheanachor. It may not materialize for a season or two, but people I trust who study offensive line say they love his feet. That is never a bad thing for a tackle.

Germie Bernard is a solid pick. He will be a professional receiver, one who runs really good routes and makes the catches. I would have preferred Zachariah Branch, who is a breakaway threat and a returner. Then the Steelers wouldn’t have needed to draft Kaden Wetjen in the fourth round. Wetjen was an elite returner, but may not help a whole lot as a receiver. I am not sure that is worth a fourth round pick. 

The other two third round picks should be solid contributors. Daylen Everette comes from Georgia, which gets him bonus points. He should fit into the nickel and dime packages for now. Gennings Dunker and his mullet will hopefully jump right into the starting lineup at right guard. Iowa is a great place to find offensive linemen.

Riley Nowakowski was the fifth round pick. He moved around at Indiana, but played a lot of fullback. I think he was picked to take the Connor Heyward spot as H back/tight end. Not a flashy pick, but a guy Mike McCarthy’s offense can use.

The only other pick worth mentioning was the last pick the Steelers made. Eli Heidenreich out of Navy is not only a great story(keep scrolling), but a useful player. He compares favorably to Christian McCaffrey. If he turns out half as good as McCaffrey the Steelers got themselves a steal.

All in all, the Steelers had an adequate draft and nothing more. If Drew Allar would go on to be your next big time quarterback then it becomes much more. Bernard, and Dunker should help immediately, while the rest have a chance to develop a more prominent role in the future.

This draft certainly didn’t define who or what the Steelers are. They continue to be an enigma. Still, I commend the Allar pick. You simply must keep trying to find that next guy.

You just never know.

Tweet of the Week

Want to see the embarrassing moment for the Steelers? Here you go.

 


The Weekly Shiny Penny

The moment of the draft came late in the seventh round. This moment for Eli Heidenreich encapsulates a player from a military academy getting drafted. Good for him, and I hope he makes a splash in Pittsburgh.

 


A Penny For My Final Thoughts…

This week some thoughts on the once one sided Pens/Flyers playoff series…

  • The Pens came out skating in molasses the first two games, then lost control of game three halfway through.
  • The Flyers are still playing fast to the puck, but after two Pens wins it isn’t as prevalent as the first three games.
  • The young guys and their young legs for the Flyers are showing the way for Philly.
  • I think there are chinks in the armor of Flyers goalie Dan Vladar. The problem for the Pens is Arturs Silovs is hard to trust when needing four straight wins.
  • The Pens crowd was electric last night.
  • Game 5 was a fantastic game and was a perfect example of why the Stanley Cup Playoffs are simply fantastic. It forces fans to hang on every pass and every shot.
  • I still think Kris Letang needs to retire, but he has been really good in the two Pens wins.
  • Sidney Crosby still draws all of the attention from the Flyers.
  • Typically, the Flyers have been a nasty, cheap shotting team. The Pens must do better at rising above it. I am sure the Flyers will turn up the nonsense in game six at home.
  • If the Flyers get behind in game six, the nerves will set in. They certainly don’t want to back to Pittsburgh for a winner takes all game seven.
Just my two cents…