Steelers will take a long look at QBs in draft

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By Gerry Dulac / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The Steelers haven't decided if they will take a quarterback sometime Friday or Saturday in the NFL draft. But, for the first time in a long time, general manager Kevin Colbert said they are open to the possibility.

If they do, will they wait until the middle or late rounds to draft a quarterback who merely will be the No. 3 quarterback behind Ben Roethlisberger and Bruce Gradkowski?

Or do they start looking for Roethlisberger's heir apparent now and go after a quarterback, say, in the third round?

If they do not draft a quarterback, the Steelers, in all likelihood, will welcome back Charlie Batch as one of their backups.

The Steelers are not ready to start grooming a replacement for Roethlisberger, who is 31 and entering his 10th season in the league. He has three more years remaining on his $100 million contract. But that doesn't mean they would pass on a talented quarterback who still needs several years of development before he is ready to play in the NFL.

And that quarterback is Tyler Bray, who is only 21 and skipped his senior season at Tennessee to enter the draft.

A lot of NFL teams, the Steelers included, think Bray is the most-talented quarterback in the draft. He is a 6-foot-6, 230-pound pocket passer with a powerful arm who threw for 7,444 yards and 69 touchdowns in three seasons with the Volunteers.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/sports/steelers/steelers-will-take-a-long-look-at-qbs-in-draft-684459/#ixzz2RAh6pqsJ

I think drafting a QB this year, if we can get a good one, isn't a bad idea, but I haven't been impressed with any QB coming out. I haven't seen much of Bray but as far as QB chatter goes, there hasn't been a lot as there has been in recent years.

However, with that being said, we can't wait until Ben is no longer productive before we attempt to find a replacement. Last time we did that, the Steelers went 25 years without winning a SB.

And they should. Not as an eventual starter, but a solid backup. Ben still has years left on his contract, and if he has a good, healthy year this year, that contract will be extended. Towards the end of that extension is when they'll begin seeking out the new face of the Pittsburgh Steelers through the NFL Draft.

I'm all up for drafting a QB quite honestly. I think we should continue to get younger at the QB position and cut Batch and Lefty. It would be great if Batch would retire and become our QB coach.