Former Ole Miss quarterback John Rhys has been nabbed by the Steelers as an undrafted free agent. Pittsburgh officially has a full QB room, as Rhys becomes the fourth quarterback behind Russell Wilson, Justin Fields, and Kyle Allen. While Plumlee might have gone undrafted, the young QB displayed quite the self-confidence before the draft, but he might just have talked too soon.
Advertisement
Former #UCF QB John Rhys Plumlee is signing with the #Steelers as an undrafted free agent.
Plumlee has drawn comparisons to #Saints QB/TE Taysom Hill; he ran a 4.51-second 40-yard dash at his Pro Day. While he could be the team’s fourth QB/camp arm, it’s more likely he’ll move… pic.twitter.com/2PcnxS5YOw
— Steelers Update (@_SteelersUpdate) April 28, 2024
Appearing on The Paul Finebaum Show before the draft, the former UCF quarterback declared himself to be one of the best 32 quarterbacks in the league. With 32 teams in the NFL, it’s quite a broad brush to paint with. However, it does mean that the new Steelers QB believes he will make a fine starter. He said on the podcast,
“Right now, it’s day by day, preparing adequately for the future,” he “Hopeful to get an opportunity, but like you said, I think that I can do a lot of things. I think I can be a weapon in many different ways. But I also think that if you asked me I’m one of the best 32 quarterbacks in the world, and I think yeah, given the opportunity, I think that I am and I will be.”
For now, though, he’s stuck at number 4. And he’ll have to work his way up in the Steelers unit to get close to the best of 32 criteria. Despite demonstrating remarkable versatility and playmaking during his freshman year, Plumlee’s draft stock plummeted as he progressed further in his college career, especially as he spent two seasons as a backup at Ole Miss, before transferring to UCF.
John Rhys Plumlee’s College Career
As a true freshman in Mississippi, John Rhys broke the school’s freshman and quarterback rushing record running for 1,023 yards and 12 touchdowns. However, he was relegated to the backup position for the next two seasons despite the promise he showed as a freshman.
Eventually, he made his way to UCF, and over the past two seasons with the Knights, Plumlee emerged as a starting quarterback, amassing 5,838 passing yards, 34 touchdowns, and 19 interceptions, along with 1,367 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns. In Pittsburgh, Plumlee’s goal would now be to prove himself a capable quarterback and perhaps eventually he will make his way to the starter position.
