Pittsburgh Steelers: 6 Quarterbacks the Team Could Take in the 2013 NFL Draft

There has been a lot of speculation that the Pittsburgh Steelers would take a quarterback fairly early in the 2013 NFL draft.

That speculation got ramped up another notch when Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert told the media, “We won’t close the door on any position in any round." You can read this and an account of the rest of Colbert’s media session in this Steelersdepot.com article by Dave Bryan.

I do not believe the Steelers should take a quarterback higher than the fourth round, if that, because of the many other needs the team has at this time.

Here are six quarterbacks who I feel have a shot to be selected by the Steelers at some point during the 2013 NFL draft.  

Tyler Bray Tennessee

Tyler Bray is probably the least likely on my list to be drafted by the Steelers, only because I believe a team will take him in the second round.

Even though I would disagree with it, I think the Steelers would take a shot on Bray if he fell to the third round because of his potential to develop.

Bray probably would have been best served to go back to college for his senior season, but if the Steelers select him, he wouldn’t have to do anything but back up Ben Roethlisberger for the next six to seven seasons anyway.

E.J. Manuel Florida State

There is going to be a running theme with every quarterback on this list in that every single one is going to need to develop for a long time.

At this point, I see E.J. Manuel dropping to about the fourth or fifth round depending on how the rest of the draft process goes for him, which would put him in range for the Steelers in my opinion.

Manuel has a lot of talent and potential, however. Right now, he is just too inconsistent with his accuracy especially on touch throws.

Ryan Nassib Syracuse

Ryan Nassib is another wildly inconsistent quarterback in this class who I can see going anywhere from the third to the fifth round in the draft.

I don’t know how, but Nassib was at one time considered potentially the No. 1 overall pick, which obviously I don’t see at all happening.

Nassib doesn’t have the strongest arm and isn’t the most accurate. However, I believe he could develop into a solid enough backup.

Zac Dysert Miami (Ohio)

There are going to be a lot of people talking about Zac Dysert to the Steelers because he and Ben Roethlisberger both attended Miami (Ohio).

When I actually look at Dysert, he kind of reminds me of a poor man’s Big Ben but with an elongated release.

Dysert is obviously not close to the player that Roethlisberger is and probably will never get to that point, but he would be able to learn from Roethlisberger for years before having to play any meaningful snaps.  

Alex Carder Western Michigan

I actually had the Steelers taking Alex Carder in the fifth round in my initial mock draft, and I think he will go anywhere from the fifth to sixth round in the draft.

Carder isn’t great in any one area but he has a decent arm, nice mobility and has displayed good toughness during games.

Obviously, Carder isn’t anything close to a finished product at this point but I believe he would be a nice pickup if the Steelers could get him later in the draft.

Collin Klein Kansas State

At one point Collin Klein was coming off of a season where he was a Heisman Finalist, and now I truly believe there is a shot he does not get drafted.

I wouldn’t mind if the Steelers took a shot at Klein in the sixth or seventh round because of his intangibles, and at that point you are not really risking much if it doesn’t work out.

I really think Klein can become a career backup quarterback in the NFL, but it just may take a couple seasons before he’s ready for that role.