Unexpected QB Selected as Steelers’ Best Fit in the 2024 Draft
The Pittsburgh Steelers have many options in the 2024 offseason when it comes to handling the quarterback position, including some well-known players. But, one player who may be less well-known to NFL fans is Michael Pratt, a quarterback from Tulane who could be the team’s top pick in the upcoming draft, according to Steelers Now’s Nick Farabaugh.
Despite having a mid-major during his college career, Pratt put together a career that should have interested any team that missed out on the first-round quarterbacks.
In college sports, experienced players aren’t hard to come by these days. Many players made use of their fifth year of eligibility, which was granted to everyone in 2020.
Finding players with that level of experience who did not require the extra year is far more difficult.
Pratt is among those athletes.
Three games into his freshman season, he was starting for Tulane, and he never looked back.
He caught 90 touchdowns and threw for 9611 yards during his four seasons with the team, winning several significant awards in the process.
He was selected for the All-AAC Second Team in 2022. In the Cotton Bowl, he defeated USC in a shootout to cap off the season.
He then earned a spot on the 2023 First Team and the AAC Offensive Player of the Year award.
Before Tulane lost their bowl game without him, his performance in that 2023 season helped them become one of the top mid-majors in college football with an 11-2 record.
Pratt’s lengthy tenure as Tulane’s quarterback has put him on the draft radar for some time, and it’s possible that his final two seasons were sufficient to propel him to a Day Two selection.
Divergent views exist regarding the best way the Steelers should tackle the quarterback position in the 2024 offseason.
You can probably find someone who thinks the quarterback is the best fit for the Steelers if one is expected to be available.
Both veterans and those in this year’s draft class can attest to that.
Big moves at quarterback, though, might not always translate into big gains for Pittsburgh.
It appears that the Steelers will incorporate the run game more heavily into their offense now that they have appointed Arthur Smith as their new offensive coordinator.
It’s a sensible strategy considering their run game success at the end of the 2023 regular season and their two talented running backs, Jaylen Warren and Najee Harris.
Regardless of the quarterback on the team, this strategy will nevertheless lessen the impact the quarterback will have on the game.
That makes it hard to defend investing a lot of money or a first-round pick in a quarterback.
Alternatively, they could just go with the tried-and-true method of keeping Mason Rudolph or add an inexpensive veteran and gamble on a quarterback late in the draft.
Pratt is a quarterback the Steelers could consider looking at and watch develop on their bench for a few years, if that is their chosen strategy.
