The Pittsburgh Steelers have already completely overhauled their quarterback depth chart this offseason through free agency (Russell Wilson) and trade (Justin Fields). Could they potentially add a draft pick to that mix to complete the offseason trifecta? It might now be on the radar as the Steelers have a pre-draft visit scheduled with University of Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr.
It became obvious during the 2023 season that the Steelers had to do something to fix their quarterback situation as former first-round pick Kenny Pickett struggled to make developmental progress. The additions of Wilson and Fields are solid, cheap gambles that offer short-term upgrades, even if they are small upgrades.
But there is still the issue of a long-term solution that the Steelers have to worry about. Until they find that long-term option they will simply be stuck in quarterback purgatory that will continue to limit their ceiling in terms of winning a championship.
Given the depth of this year’s quarterback class – and how weak next year’s is projected to be – it makes sense that the Steelers would at least want to do their due diligence on the signal-callers in this year’s class.
Penix Jr. is an intriguing prospect because while he is not considered to be one of the four top prospects at his position (Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, Jayden Daniels and J.J. McCarthy), he still has a chance to go very high. Especially after displaying an impressive 40-time during his pro day, unofficially clocking in (depending on the stopwatch) between 4.51 seconds and 4.57 seconds, per Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy.
Taking Penix Jr. in the first round (No. 20 overall) would probably be a considerable risk for the Steelers, at least as it relates to competing this season.
The Steelers won 10 games a season ago, made the playoffs and are bringing back a top-10 defense that got better this offseason with the additions of Patrick Queen, Donte Jackson and DeShon Elliott. With the additions of Wilson and Fields at quarterback, the team clearly has its eyes on a return to the postseason this season and hopefully winning a playoff game for the first time since the 2016 season.
Pittsburgh also still has some pretty big needs on their roster that could be filled with that first-round pick, including a need for a center and help at offensive tackle. They could address either spot at No. 20 overall.
But what if Penix Jr. starts to slide down the boards? What if he starts to approach the second round or actually goes into the second round? That might be a situation and an opportunity that is too much for the Steelers to ignore.
