The NFL these days has become more impatient in terms of quarterback development than ever before in its history. The assumption of many fans and pundits is that, if a young quarterback doesn’t break out as a star player within his first couple of seasons, then he must not be of any value beyond possibly as a career backup. While this assumption often is true, it’s not something to bet the ranch on.

That’s why, at any given time, you can find promising, young quarterbacks who spend most of their game days holding tablets along the sidelines. When a team misses on a late-blooming QB who subsequently moves on to another team, that’s a blunder comparable to missing on a first-round draft pick (just ask the Browns if they’d like to have Baker Mayfield back).

As the Pittsburgh Steelers lick their wounds following yet another cameo appearance in the playoffs, a pair of largely unknown, young QBs currently are in positions where an offseason deal might bring one of them to the Steel City in time for the 2025 regular season. The first and perhaps most intriguing QB is Michael Pratt, a player out of Tulane selected by the Green Bay Packers with the 245th overall pick in the 7th round of the 2024 NFL Draft. After being waived by the Packers in the final round of roster cuts last year, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed him to their practice squad as the No. 3, emergency backup behind Baker Mayfield and No. 2 backup Kyle Trask. Pratt never saw the field during the regular season and he was placed back onto the Bucs’ practice squad at the end of December.

Among Pratt’s intriguing qualities is the fact that, during his four seasons as starting QB at Tulane, he exhibited many of the traits necessary to become a successful, pro QB. For his college career, Pratt completed 729 passes out of 1,203 attempts for a total of 9,602 yards, 90 touchdowns, and 26 interceptions. He’s capable of making every throw necessary and able to do so with excellent accuracy. He’s also a mobile QB with the speed to pick up important yardage when escaping the pocket. Perhaps most impressively, Pratt exhibits amazing toughness, a competitive fire and the ability to lead game-winning comebacks.

Because the Bucs put Pratt back on their practice squad prior to season’s end — and he had been designated as their No. 3 QB — there’s a strong likelihood he might seek a situation in which the QB position is less settled and more open to competition. And because Pratt didn’t have an opportunity to play during the 2024 regular season, his potential to succeed as a pro remains unexplored. Given the current situation in Tampa, it appears that the Steelers probably would have the opportunity to make an offseason deal to bring him to Pittsburgh or perhaps even be able to sign him if he’s waived by the Bucs.

Assuming that Russell Wilson moves on and the Steelers re-sign Justin Fields as their presumptive, starting QB for the 2025 season, Pratt would be an excellent backup and developmental prospect who likely could anticipate getting opportunities to play in meaningful games next season (due either to injuries or for reasons similar to what occurred this past regular season).

If the Steelers ignore Pratt, another intriguing, young QB named Matt Corral is currently under contract with the Birmingham Stallions of the UFL. Corral has been very impressive in limited action so far with the Stallions and, because the UFL season concludes in mid-June, there’s an opportunity for the Steelers to pursue him during the summer of this year. Like Pratt, Corral is a capable, accurate passer who’s also an effective runner out of the pocket.

Each of these players was widely considered to be a sleeper in their respective drafts (Corral is 25 years old and he was selected with the 94th overall pick in Round 3 by the Carolina Panthers in the 2022 NFL Draft). Both of these QBs are exciting-if-overlooked prospects who appear to possess significant upside potential. Because the Steelers likely won’t be in a position to draft one of the top college QBs this coming spring, the alternative of bringing in a prospect such as Pratt or Corral might be appealing.

As we’ve seen earlier in the Pickett situation, there’s no guarantee that trading up to pick a quarterback earlier in the first round would lead to any better outcome than by taking one of the options mentioned here. And to obtain a high draft pick, the Steelers obviously would need to part with some key talent and probably sacrifice future draft picks. So pursuing a couple of promising, young QBs who were bypassed in previous drafts might be a sound option under the team’s current circumstances.