By Jessica Costello
SteelerNation.com
There are officially three days left until the 2020 NFL Draft is held. Commissioner Roger Goodell is expected to be announcing picks from his basement in New York, teams will join in via Microsoft Teams to make picks, and draft picks will be filmed from home.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have somewhat of an uncertain season coming up going into the draft as they're expected to welcome back 38-year-old Ben Roethlisberger after playing just two games before his season-ending elbow injury.
Eventually, the Steelers will need to permanently replace the franchise quarterback. It's a bitter truth, but there's a level of uncertainty of how Big Ben will perform after watching from the sidelines last season.
I have little doubt that Roethlisberger will be a 'bust' when he throws again during a regular-season game. He's ready to be back and experience is the last thing Steelers fans should worry about.
But at what point should the franchise start looking for a consistent backup. A quarterback that can take Roethlisberger's spot, permanently. The two back-ups on the roster currently didn't seem to make a big statement to be 'The' next starter.
Mason Rudolph, the team's original 'backup' after Roethlisberger was ruled out the rest of the season, ended his season with eight starts, 1,765 passing yards, 13 touchdowns, nine interceptions, and a 62.2% completion rate.
Devlin "Duck" Hodges, who was Rudolph's 'successor' if you will, finished with six starts, 1,063 passing yards, five touchdowns, eight interceptions, and a 62.5% completion rate.
After being asked about the possibility of the team picking a quarterback in the upcoming draft, Roethlisberger didn't seem worried about it.
"They have to do what they have to do. We've got some quarterbacks on the roster but if they feel like there's a better one out there then they got to go get him. And that's their prerogative. That's why they're the owners, the GMs and the coaches and we just play. It's not going to change my mindset, my mentality, my motivation. I'm trying to come off an injury, so I'm going to give it everything I have. If they go draft a quarterback with our first pick in the second [round] it's not like it's going to make me go out there and try to be any better because I'm already trying to do that anyway, you know?"
He went on to talk about coming back for the team.
"I think it really put a little fire into me. Like, This is not the end for me. This is not how I'm going out. I'm going to go bust my butt, and I'm going to give it everything I have to just give myself a chance to just come back and try to and better than ever."
Although unlikely, let's talk about it Steeler Nation. Should the Steelers be focusing on who takes the throne after Big Ben? If so, who in the draft would you like to see the team pick up? Let us know in the comments section below!
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