Will The Steelers Lock Down A Capable Back-Up QB For 2023 Or Just Waste A Pick Like Last Year?

Welcome to the pre-draft season! Leading up to the 2023 NFL Draft starting on April 27th, we will be releasing draft profiles of prospects who could potentially see themselves on the Pittsburgh Steelers. Next up…

Steelers’ Draft Prospect: Clayton Tune (Quarterback), Houston, Senior

OVERVIEW: Unlike last year, the Steelers aren’t on the hunt for their next franchise quarterback in this year’s draft. Kenny Pickett is poised for a strong sophomore campaign and Mitch Trubisky remains as a relatively reliable backup to Pickett. However, the Steelers like to carry three quarterbacks through camp and ultimately on the final 53-man roster. We have yet to hear about the future of Mason Rudolph who found himself in that “QB3” slot on the depth chart last year and the Steelers haven’t made many waves in the free agency backup quarterback pool. Therefore, we can safely presume they’ll be looking for quarterback depth late in the draft to round out the quarterback room. 

But after watching what transpired with Chris Oladokun in 2022, can we expect that same thing this go-around? Who should we be watching for at that point in the draft. With him expected to touch down in Pittsburgh very soon for a pre-draft meeting, it is time to get to know Clayton Tune.

PROS: As a prototypical pocket passer, Tune brings a solid sense of awareness and resilience in the face of adversity. In college, he operated within a steady pro-style offense and showed he can make a variety of throws from the pocket. He has a great deep ball and knows how to throw his receivers open down the field. Amidst chaos in the pocket, he’s able to hold his ground, go through his progressions, and get the ball to the open receiver on time. 

Outside of the pocket, he’s able to maintain his vision down field and not let himself get out of a broken play. Tune isn’t necessarily known for being a duo-threat quarterback, but he possesses great situational mobility. He’s able to use his legs to pick up extra yardage and had great success in college doing so. In his final season last year, he tallied 544 yards on the ground with five touchdowns. 

If we think back to Head Coach Mike Tomlin’s sentiments last year in declaring his interest of a more mobile quarterback, Tune fits that mold. Yet, at the same time, remain poised and alert in the pocket to effectively utilize his mobility only when necessary.

CONS: Although he throws best from the pocket, his footwork and release need improvement. Tune’s feet tend to get lazy inside the pocket and glues him to one area between the offensive tackles. With his slow release, that forces an acceleration of his internal clock where he has to start the process of his throw well before he’d like to. This will lead to him forcing the ball into predetermined areas which NFL defenses will easily cover. Tune’s anticipation is also lacking. Not only does he make predetermined throws, he’s had trouble throwing it to the correct area of the field or mis-times his passes on timing routes.

Although he throws a nice ark on his deep balls, he tends to favor the sideline too much. This leads to him throwing his receivers out of bounds in an effort of putting the ball only where they can get it. In addition, he’s accuracy when on the move is well below average. Tune’s ball speed also lacks. He doesn’t carry that much of a zip on his passes and seems to float balls down the field. If we combine that poor accuracy on the run with his slow throwing mechanics, plus his low-velocity passing, those lead to a relatively low ceiling as an NFL quarterback. 

DRAFT PROJECTION: 7th Round

In a draft class headlined by C.J. Stroud, Bryce Young, Anthony Richardson, and even Hendon Hooker, Tune’s name is going to fall towards the bottom of a lot of draft boards. In addition, the hunt for a rookie backup quarterback on the roster doesn’t really press high priority in the first bulk of the draft. 

On the opposite side of that, however, Tune has generated a lot of interest across the league. So far, he has meetings scheduled with the Steelers, Los Angeles Rams, Houston Texans, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, Dallas Cowboys, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the Cleveland Browns. Coming off a 2022 season where we saw rookie third-string quarterbacks not only start regular season games, but show a lot of promise for the future, teams may be looking for their own diamond in the rough towards the end of the third day. Tune can be considered a safe seventh round pick.

VERDICT: As I alluded to earlier, the Steelers need a third quarterback. Please note, this cannot be mistaken for, “Pickett isn’t good and the Steelers need a back up plan.” If there is any organization who knows the value of strong backup quarterbacks, it is the Steelers. This is how Ben Roethlisberger got his start. Behind him was longtime fan favorite Charlie Batch for seven years. Just recently, if we think back to the 2019 season, we watched the likes of Devlin Hodges see some success as an undrafted rookie in place of injured quarterbacks ahead of him.

The strong desire of a solid third quarterback is beginning to grow in today’s NFL. With names such as Brock Purdy, Bailey Zappe, Skylar Thompson, and David Blough all seeing the field as starters in big time games in 2022, the need speaks for itself. With the return of Rudolph looking dimmer by the day, the Steelers may look to bargain hunt with their final two picks in the draft. With either the 234th or 241st overall pick, I’d be willing to give Tune a chance to earn a roster spot for a critical position on the team.

Where do you see Tune going in April? Would you want to see him in the black and gold? Let us know in the comments below!

#SteelerNation