The Pittsburgh Steelers probably aren't going to let a celebrity make the call on who the team should select in the first round of the NFL draft this year, but that hasn't stopped Poison lead singer Bret Michaels from offering them some unsolicited advice.
Not only does Michaels want to see the team draft a quarterback this year, but apparently, he also has a specific one in mind: Matt Corral.
The Ole Miss QB actually revealed that information himself during a recent interview on "The Rich Eisen Show."
"I've talked to Bret throughout this process, he really wants me to land in Pittsburgh," Corral said (H/T Steelers Nation).
If you're wondering why Michaels is pushing so hard for Corral, part of the reason is because the Michaels family has a long-time friendship with the Ole Miss QB. Corral has known the family since his freshman year of high school.
"I have the utmost respect for the Michaels family," Corral told Eisen. "What they've done for me is something that I can never repay them for. They were there for me in tough times and helping me through and just showing me guidance and being able to be there for me when I felt like nobody was, and that's something I can never repay them back for."
Michaels is so determined to get Corral in Pittsburgh that he's actually gone to the top of the totem pole to try and make it happen. According to Corral, Michaels has already talked to Steelers owner Art Rooney II.
"Bret's really pushing Mr. Rooney for them to pick me," Corral said.
If you're wondering how or why Bret Michaels was talking to Rooney, it's because the Poison singer used to live next door to a prominent member of the Steelers' organization.
"He used to live next to one of the owners of the Steelers -- I don't know who it was -- but that was his neighbor and they used to talk a lot and I know he brought my name up," Corral said.
Michaels seems to have a habit of bringing up Corral's name, because this definitely isn't the first time it's happened. Just before the NFL draft in 2020, Michaels mentioned Corral on Twitter as a future name to watch out for.
I also suggest to keep an eye on a kid that is an insane quarterback in future drafts named Matt Corral from Ole Miss.🤘🏻🏈 #NFLDraft
— Bret Michaels (@bretmichaels) April 25, 2020
So will the Steelers end up taking Corral? It's not completely out of the question.
Thanks to Ben Roethlisberger's retirement, the Steelers are definitely in the market for a quarterback and although they've already signed Mitchell Trubisky this offseason, they could absolutely still end up drafting a QB. Not only have they been closely monitoring each QB in the draft process, but they're also expected to have Corral in for a visit in the near future, according to ESPN.com.
Also, let's not forget that Corral said earlier this year that being the QB heir to Roethlisberger in Pittsburgh would be a blessing.
One of our draft experts here at CBSSports.com actually has Corral going to the Steelers with the 20th overall pick. That draft expert was Pete Prisco, and based on what I know, he was not bribed by Bret Michaels to put Corral in that spot. You can check out Prisco's entire mock draft by clicking here.
We also listed Corral as a front-runner to land with the Steelers and you can check out our list of possible landing spots for the Ole Miss QB by clicking here.
If Corral does end up in Pittsburgh, Steelers fans have Michaels to thank (or to get mad at if Corral ends up being a bust).
Of course, if the Steelers do end up listening to Michaels, it wouldn't even be the craziest draft story the AFC North has seen over the past decade and that's because that honor easily belongs to the Cleveland Browns, who drafted Johnny Manziel in 2014 because a homeless guy apparently convinced owner Jimmy Haslam that it was the smart thing to do.
