Steelers HC Mike Tomlin: 'Not necessary' for veteran QB to mentor rookie

Tennessee Titans veteran quarterback Ryan Tannehill generated headlines and buzz when he said on Tuesday that he will be "competing against" rookie Malik Willis and then added it's not his "job to mentor" the third-round draft selection. 

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin could find himself dealing with a similar situation this spring and summer. 

Following the retirement of future Hall of Famer Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh signed veteran Mitchell Trubisky, presumably to have him sit atop the depth chart but compete with career backup Mason Rudolph for the team's starting job. The situation took an interesting turn, though, when the Steelers grabbed former Pittsburgh Panthers signal-caller Kenny Pickett with pick No. 20 last Thursday night. 

Per Michael Baca of the NFL's website, Tomlin played the matter down during Wednesday's appearance on "The Rich Eisen Show." 

"It's good when it occurs but it's certainly not necessary," Tomlin said of a first-year pro being mentored by an established player. "That's why we have offensive coordinators, quarterback coaches, assistant quarterback coaches. People are employed and their sole focus is the development of players. Certainly, there's growth and development opportunities and learning opportunities among players, but it is definitely not their function. Their function is to have themselves ready to go and be good teammates, and I think that's probably what you speak to just in terms of providing common human decency and courtesy to someone if you can help them along the way. I'm sure Ryan (Tannehill) is open to that, but I think he was just stating the obvious that he's not employed to do that. He's employed to play quarterback."

Tomlin said last week Pickett "certainly has a chance" to be named the starter for Week 1 in September and added on Wednesday he expects a "fierce" battle between the rookie, Trubisky and Rudolph. The coach also made it clear Pickett's hand-size measurements raised no red flags for the Steelers.