2020 NFL Draft: Top trade-up targets for the Pittsburgh Steelers

Roethlisberger has been teasing retirement every season since 2017, when it was reported he was unwilling to commit playing past the next season. Ever since then the possibility of Roethlisberger retiring at the end of the season has been a real possibility.

At 38-years-old, it is undeniable he is in the twilight of his career. If 2020 is not his swan song season, 2021 almost certainly will be. And while general manager Colbert might say he feels great about the quarterbacks on the roster today, no fan who watched the 2019 season can actually believe that.

No matter how excited Roethlisberger may be about coming back this year, the hard truth is the Steelers’ front office must seriously consider drafting a reasonable under-study to the future Hall of Famer in the 2020 NFL Draft. There are several reasons why quarterback might be the biggest draft need for the Steelers in this draft.

For starters, the front office can no longer rely on the mystery of what back-up quarterback Rudolph might look like as Roethlisberger’s heir. Fans saw enough in 2019 to know he isn’t the future.

Third-string quarterback Hodges also looked woefully unprepared, albeit he was a rookie and can be forgiven for looking inconsistent last season. The Pittsburgh Steelers finished the 2019 season with the second-fewest passing yards in the NFL, averaging 186 yards per game, according to NFL.com.

The fact head coach Mike Tomlin flip-flopped between both quarterbacks as starters last season is the only verdict fans need to know; neither is a particularly appealing option once Big Ben retires.

Then there is the state of Roethlisberger himself. Without even taking into account what he might look like after such a serious injury to his throwing arm, Steelers fans must consider the ultimate worst-case scenario. In 2019, we only got to see Roethlisberger play in two games. But what we saw in those games wasn’t pretty. He was taken to the cleaners by the hated, AFC arch-nemesis New England Patriots on prime time TV during Week One of the regular season.

The Steelers lost the game in humiliating fashion, 33-3 on Sunday Night Football. Roethlisberger threw zero touchdowns to one interception and a completion rate of 57.4 percent. This is brought up not to antagonize Steelers fans but to make fans consider if Roethlisberger is already cooked as an NFL starting quarterback.

There is plenty of historical evidence to refute this scenario. Roethlisberger has always started seasons off slow only to rebound in October and put up MVP stats in November and December. Roethlisberger could come back this September and lead the team to another Super Bowl. But after missing the last two offseasons, do fans really want to miss a third because the general manager and Roethlisberger didn’t know when to call it quits?

If the Steelers front office wants to avoid what happened in 2019, they will need to draft a new contingency plan at quarterback in the 2020 NFL Draft.

One quarterback seems to be a perfect fit for the Steelers as both a serviceable back-up in 2020 and an understudy at the position. While considered one of the top quarterback prospects heading into the 2019 season, his inability to win a few “big-games” have many NFL media pundits have him falling into Day Two of the draft and thus within striking distance of the Steelers second-round pick.

Justin Herbert has been the starter for the Oregon Ducks since 2016. While most expected Herbert to declare for the 2019 NFL Draft, he chose to return to Oregon and chase a national title with his hometown team. While he failed to make that happen, Herbert was still able to finish his career on a high note, winning the Pac-12 Championship game against Utah and the Rose Bowl on New Years Day against Wisconsin.

While expected to compete with Tua Tagovailoa for the number one quarterback spot in the 2020 NFL Draft, the historic season of LSU quarterback Joe Burrow knocked Herbert down to the third-best quarterback available. With Herbert potentially falling into the second round, or at least late in the first, the Pittsburgh Steelers could be within striking distance of securing a future franchise quarterback this year.

Herbert has a lot of fans and a lot of detractors. Depending on what you value in a quarterback, you either love Herbert or think he is mediocre. For starters, Herbert has great arm strength and potentially has the best throwing mechanics in the entire 2020 NFL Draft.

He also has touch, can throw with anticipation, is accurate to a much higher degree than usually seen at the college level. Great deep ball placement, although Oregon play-callers did not utilize this nearly as much as they should have.

At 6-foot-6, 233-pounds, Herbert has the size and strength to play quarterback in the NFL. But there are some aspects of his game that are concerning for some scouts. He fumbles more than you would like to see. While leading Oregon to multiple winning seasons, Herbert has a tendency to “not show up in the big games”. And while this is not a trackable stat, it is concerning that his skills in 2019 did not show any signs of improvement from 2018.

Currently, most mock drafts have Herbert somewhere in the top 40 picks in the 2020 NFL Draft. Some have him late in the first round, while others have him falling to the second round. If the Pittsburgh Steelers are interested in trading up to get Herbert it is technically possible.

That being said, where Herbert gets drafted will largely depend on the organizations considering him in the 2020 NFL Draft. Since Herbert’s first year in college, football media and other organizations have considered him a future starting quarterback in the NFL. Many general managers and coaches with vacant or soon-to-be vacant quarterback positions will consider Herbert as a legitimate day-one starter in 2020 and could beat the Steelers to the punch.

Giving Herbert a season to sit and learn with Roethlisberger could be great for him, as it would allow him time to iron the problems in his game and prepare to take over in 2021. Then again, Roethlisberger has vocally criticized the team’s attempts to draft a potential successor in the past. How the Steelers feel about Roethlisberger past 2020 could decide whether they take a chance on a quarterback this year.