OT: The Pittsburgher Thread: Ploff wins?!? Fire Tomlin

[MrBrightside]

What? Fields is like 4 years older than Milroe. Fields turns 26 in March and Milroe just turned 22 back in December.

Milroe would be a high risk, high reward type of pick to take him in the 3rd round with the intent of developing him behind Fields. Am I confident it works out? No, but at the cost of a 3rd what's the issue? If you hit, you get your QB of the future without even having to use a 1st on it. If you miss, you only used a 3rd on him.

I'm personally not wild about Milroe in general after how bad his senior year was, but there's really no risk in using a 3rd or 4th on him and seeing if you can develop him behind Fields. Worst case scenario is that you just whiff on a 3rd or 4th, but they've done that plenty of times on worse gambles.

Yeah, my bad, I had the dates inverted when I looked. But it doesn't really change my point that Milroe's upside is probably that of Fields or less, and to use a top 3 round pick to get the same guy you already have who is still young when you have other needs is a bad use of resources.

 

[pistolpete11]

I just can't wrap my head around the Steelers and Mike Tomlin finding a diamond in the rough at QB. If all the other teams let a QB drop to the 2nd or 3rd round, there's probably a reason for it and I don't trust the Steelers to be the team to develop a project QB. Would rather use the 3rd to build out the rest of the team.

Everything they do should be setting themselves up to take a QB in R1 in 2026. Trade Pickens, Fitz, etc. for picks next year. Shit I'd rather trade this year's 3rd for a 2nd or 3rd next year just to give them more ammunition to move up. If it makes them take a step back on the field next year, good. Won't have to move up as far.

How would they be redundant? Milroe is being drafted as their actual QB of the future while Fields is a stopgap.

They'd be taking Milroe to sit for 2 or 3 years and have Fields start, then hand the reigns over to Milroe (if he develops well).

You'd rather go with 2 projects at QB than just wait a year and take a QB in R1 in what is widely considered a better QB class?

 

[Empoleon8771]

Yeah, my bad, I had the dates inverted when I looked. But it doesn't really change my point that Milroe's upside is probably that of Fields or less, and to use a top 3 round pick to get the same guy you already have who is still young when you have other needs is a bad use of resources.

I think it depends what you mean by "Milroe's upside is less than Fields". Do you mean Fields currently? I don't agree, I think Milroe has the athleticism to potentially develop into a very good starting QB. Do you mean Fields' upside? I can see that, but having 2 dart board throws rather than 1 (which is what I view both Fields and Milroe hitting those upsides) doesn't seem like a bad bet either.

It would be way different if we were talking about using a 1st or 2nd, but I don't have any issues trying the gamble with a late 3rd. Milroe has a high upside that warrants taking a QB in the mid rounds (as compared to someone like Howard who's a low ceiling but safe floor player).

Like I said, I'm personally really iffy on Milroe and don't have any objections to the people who are a firm no on him due to his issues. But the concept of drafting a high risk, high reward guy like Milroe in round 3 to sit behind Fields is something I don't really have a problem with.

You'd rather go with 2 projects at QB than just wait a year and take a QB in R1 in what is widely considered a better QB class?

Are you any less likely to get a project QB at where the Steelers are going to be drafting? Milroe is an extreme project, I'll definitely give you that, but any QB the Steelers are drafting at 20 is very likely going to be a project as well.

Any QB they'd draft at like 20th overall next year would be a better QB than Milroe, but the point of drafting Milroe would be trying to hit on a scratch off lottery ticket and finding your QB that way.

 

[pistolpete11]

Are you any less likely to get a project QB at where the Steelers are going to be drafting? Milroe is an extreme project, I'll definitely give you that, but any QB the Steelers are drafting at 20 is very likely going to be a project as well.

1. We don't know where they will be drafting in 2026.
2. As I said right above that, they should be doing everything they can to set themselves up to take their shot at a QB in 2026, including moving up in R1, if necessary.

 

[Peat]

I totally missed the "first round talent" part of that tweet from Poni, I think there is a zero percent chance anyone takes Milroe that high. He's purely a developmental QB that you're hoping you can take the raw athleticism and turn it into a legitimate QB. Hurts was a similar player type and had a significantly better senior year (finished 2nd in Heisman voting), yet Hurts still didn't go until pick #52.

Milroe probably shouldn't be higher than a 3rd rounder, he's closer to Malik Willis than Hurts right now. Willis went at pick #86, so Milroe should be going somewhere around pick #75. At that pick, I'd be totally good with drafting him and sitting him behind Fields if you think you can develop him.

The NFL seems to be getting only ever more eager to take QBs high though. It feels like if Hurts came out of school today, he'd have gone higher. Wait and see but I would not be surprised if teams saw him as a guy to take in the first round. I mean, if you think you can develop him, why not take him where Jordan Love went?

 

[JTG]

Milroe is Fields 3 years ago. I will honestly stop watching if they take Milroe with their 1st or 2nd round pick. 3rd round I'd be OK with that.

 

[Peat]

Fields is 27 months older than Milroe and is far more accomplished and has a far greater pedigree and skill set. The odds on Milroe being a legitimate starting QB in the NFL are lower than Fields being one.

Since the odds are good on neither and the ones of finding one out of two are better than finding one out of one, I don't see the problem in isolation here. Of course, in the bigger picture...

I just can't wrap my head around the Steelers and Mike Tomlin finding a diamond in the rough at QB. If all the other teams let a QB drop to the 2nd or 3rd round, there's probably a reason for it and I don't trust the Steelers to be the team to develop a project QB. Would rather use the 3rd to build out the rest of the team.

Everything they do should be setting themselves up to take a QB in R1 in 2026. Trade Pickens, Fitz, etc. for picks next year. Shit I'd rather trade this year's 3rd for a 2nd or 3rd next year just to give them more ammunition to move up. If it makes them take a step back on the field next year, good. Won't have to move up as far.


You'd rather go with 2 projects at QB than just wait a year and take a QB in R1 in what is widely considered a better QB class?

This seems far preferable.

Also re the rest of this post - I can't imagine them doing it either. I can't imagine it increasing the pressure on Tomlin either, which is a big part of what I want to happen with any future QB pick. A no more excuses, do or die prospect. So we'll probably get 3rd round Milroe and "oh he never has the talent" because we don't get nice things.

 

[Goalie_Bob]

The NFL seems to be getting only ever more eager to take QBs high though. It feels like if Hurts came out of school today, he'd have gone higher. Wait and see but I would not be surprised if teams saw him as a guy to take in the first round. I mean, if you think you can develop him, why not take him where Jordan Love went?

The Packers had Rodgers thus there was no pressure on Love to be a starter. For the Steelers, as soon as Fields has a bad game everybody would be screaming for the backup/Milroe.....

 

[MrBrightside]

I mean, who knows, but if they do this and roll into 2025 with the same HC, OC, DC, and QB...

 

[xlm34]

At least I’ll be able to golf a lot more on Sundays if the Steelers bring Russ back.

 

[MrBrightside]

Given Kaboly's track record of predictions we can now assume that Skylar Thompson will be QB1.

 

[Empoleon8771]

I think Russ wants to come back to the Steelers but the Steelers prefer Fields going forward.

 

[bigdaddyk88]

I think Russ wants to come back to the Steelers but the Steelers prefer Fields going forward.

Before the playoffs only 2 people thought RW was a viable option as a starter in 25 one was Tomlin the other is RW. After the playoffs it sounds like Tomlin has moved on from RW

 

[xlm34]

This was Smith’s only other option I think so he’s almost certainly coming back.

 

[bigdaddyk88]