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Longtime draft analyst for ESPN Mel Kiper had a conference call with the media today and he made a remark that the Steelers would be a great fit for Florida quarterback Kyle Trask as an heir apparent to Ben Roethlisberger. The Steelers have the No. 24 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft and most likely will miss out on the top 4-5 quarterbacks in the draft.
Kiper projects Trask to a be a second-round prospect, which is an ideal spot for the Florida quarterback. Roethlisberger turns 39 tomorrow and 2021 in all likelihood will be his final year. So, the Steelers need to find a replacement quick, but I just don't know if they'll find their future quarterback in this year's draft, unless they decide to trade up for Trey Lance of North Dakota State.
Trask is a big quarterback like Roethlisberger, standing at 6-foot-5, 240 pounds. He was a two-year starter at Florida and completed 67.9 percent of his passes for 7,386 yards and had a 69-15 touchdown-interception ratio, along with a quarterback rating of 168.5 in his college career. In 2020, Trask completed 68.9 percent of his passes for 4,283 yards, 43 touchdowns and just eight interceptions. He also had a stellar quarterback rating of 180.0.
Trask put up impressive numbers in the SEC, but there are concerns about his mobility and arm strength at the next level. A good portion of Trask's success at Florida comes from short and intermediate passes that gave the wide receiver the opportunity to make yards after the catch.
In today's NFL, you need a quarterback that can extend plays and be mobile. Just look at some of the top quarterbacks in the league like Patrick Mahomes, Deshaun Watson, Russell Wilson and Lamar Jackson. Minus Jackson, all three of those quarterbacks have exceptional arm strength and accuracy as well.
Below is a summary on Trask by The Draft Network.
"Trask is a stoutly-built QB prospect that’s a prime example of perseverance and patience. Not becoming a full-time starter until his redshirt junior season, he had to show maximum amounts of patience prior to getting his chance under center. Going on to have a prolific career, he became a supreme leader for the Gators. A decisive and quick operator, he’s a highly intelligent thrower that often attacks with a plan. He has thorough knowledge and smarts to attack all three levels of the field, as he’s experienced reads in many different manners. A “grip it and rip it” thrower of quick game concepts on the perimeter, he’s at his best when on schedule and able to take advantage of leverage throws. Trask’s biggest challenges come the further down the field and when forced to play outside of the normal structure of the offense. A slew-footed operator, he doesn’t have the athleticism necessary to consistently make off-script plays. An often-used option on designed QB runs, his big frame is an asset on runs during short conversion situations. Trask’s lower half may need to be reconstructed as it is the root of why most of his passes die in the deeper portions of the field. Similar to his surroundings in college, in order to reach/see his full potential, he will need to have an adequate play-caller, protection, and playmakers around him."
If the Steelers drafted Trask in the second round, they would be essentially just drafting another Mason Rudolph.