Ryan Clark Going Viral for Steelers Reaction

The Pittsburgh Steelers were handed the opportunity to take a quarterback with their first-round pick on Thursday. They turned it down in favor of Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon.

Taking Harmon 21st was a well-received selection. It adds an explosive starter next to defensive tackle Cameron Heyward and Keeanu Benton, offering a short-term boost to the unit and a long-term replacement for the former’s production.

Yet, he isn’t a quarterback, and that won’t be enough for some fans.

That includes Ryan Clark, whose reaction to the Steelers’ first-round pick went viral.

Clark was visibly upset, largely due to the looming vacancy under center. Pittsburgh remains suspended between the rest of the draft, Aaron Rodgers, and Mason Rudolph, a less-than-ideal proposition for leaving quarterback purgatory.

"Mason Rudolph? Mason Rudolph!?," Clark said. "He went to Tennessee and got worse. You know what we're gonna do? Oh, let's wait for Aaron. Wait for Aaron to make a decision. We let Aaron Rodgers hold us hostage like we're a four. We the Pittsburgh Steelers! We're supposed to be acting like a 10. We acting like a four."

Without a second-round pick, the Steelers were temporarily out of the quarterback sweepstakes. However, the board fell continuously in their favor, leaving multiple quarterbacks and running backs on the board for their third-round pick.

Ahead of Day 2, Clark softened his stance, acknowledging that Pittsburgh may not have fallen in love with a passer, particularly falling far enough to take them in Round 1.

"I'm gonna give them a 'B' [grade] because they did the right thing. If they didn't have a quarterback ranked that high. They picked a very good player at a position where they needed to get depth, where they needed to be younger. So they did the right thing, I guess," Clark said. "I'm just so sad. I'm so, so sad. It's fine, he's a very good player, he'll learn from Cam Heyward, he's on the line with T.J. Watt, that's gonna be a great room and a great position on the team."

Clark’s reaction was met with criticism given the immense loss Harmon is dealing with – his mother passed away shortly after he was selected in Round 1. Clark’s clarification softened the blow of his initial reaction, but until the quarterback position is addressed, the safety’s sentiment will remain fair.