The Pittsburgh Steelers don’t necessarily need a quarterback. After all, Ben Roethlisberger, Landry Jones and Joshua Dobbs will all be returning for at least the 2018-2019 season. However, that doesn’t mean the team shouldn’t look into their crystal ball and plan for the future.
Roethlisberger can’t play forever, and when he goes the team needs to have a backup plan to avoid another Tomczak/O’Donnell/Stewart/Maddox style era between Super Bowl winning quarterbacks.
Before going any further, it is worth mentioning a lot of this depends on how the team feels about Dobbs. The 2017 4th round draft pick has a lot of potential, and a very similar skill set to the player being profiled here, but still needs a lot of work. If the team feels he has the potential of being the next quarterback of the black-and-gold then it changes a lot in this scenario. However, if they feel he is nothing more than a quality backup for years to come, the quarterback position should be on the table in the 2018 NFL Draft.
While some will grab their torches and pitchforks and bemoan the thought of taking a quarterback with such glaring needs as inside linebacker and safety, the fact remains this would be a pick for the future — and I never said it should be a first round selection.
In fact, when it comes to Lamar Jackson, the player being discussed in the above video, he would need a few years to develop and learn the NFL system anyway. What better system, and who better to learn from, than with the Steelers and from Ben Roethlisberger?
Many don’t like Jackson, and he certainly has his issues, but you can’t underscore the fact he is a winner and incredibly talented. You don’t win the Heisman Trophy for nothing, and he did just that in 2016.
Some call him Michael Vick 2.0, or the next Vince Young, but there is something different about Jackson to me. Something explosive which can bring about success for those around him. I’m not suggesting the Steelers sell the farm for Jackson, but if he is still around when their second round pick comes, I wouldn’t be upset if I heard Jackson’s name called as the selection for the Steelers.
Take a look at the awesome draft profile video above!