Another day, another analyst proposing a Pittsburgh Steelers blockbuster move to land a top-flight college quarterback. On the heels of Colin Cowherd’s bold prediction of selling everything, including T.J. Watt and George Pickens, for Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, CBS Sports’ Ryan Wilson offered a more mellow but similar take.
Opining on how the Steelers should proceed come draft day, he thinks the team should make a major play for Sanders if he slips past initial projections.
“I would say, I will give you George Pickens and man, I might even give you my first-round pick at 21,” Wilson told co-host Rick Spielman on their With The First Pick podcast. “So George Pickens and 21 if Shedeur Sanders is there at 10 or 11 or something.”
Sanders is viewed as one of the top two quarterback prospects and will battle Miami (Fla.)’s Cam Ward for the top spot. Right now, it’s unlikely for Sanders to slip that late in the first round especially given the quarterback-needy teams picking in single digits. That includes the Tennessee Titans at No. 1, Cleveland Browns at No. 2, New York Giants at No. 3, Las Vegas Raiders at No. 6, and New York Jets at No. 7.
With a lack of strong free agent options, the draft is the best avenue for those teams to find a long-term option. As recent years have shown, hitting big on a young quarterback can turn a franchise around. The Houston Texans and Washington Commanders went from habitual losers to playoff teams after landing C.J. Stroud and Jayden Daniels.
Pittsburgh will enter a tricky offseason with Pickens. Eligible for a big-money, long-term deal, the Steelers will have to decide if Pickens is worth paying upwards of $30 million per season. If not, they could entertain trading him as they’ve done with a host of ultra-talented receivers in the past who weren’t worth the headache.
The issue with Wilson’s proposal is what that would leave Sanders to work with. No Pickens and no first-round pick leaves the Steelers with an empty wide receiver room. With other needs, the Steelers could struggle to add a wide receiver and everything else that needs addressed. Of course, free agency will have largely wrapped up and Pittsburgh could make a splash there in a class that’s expected to be full of veteran options. Stroud and Daniels succeeded in part because of their talent but they also had targets to throw to. Nico Collins and Tank Dell in Houston, Terry McLaurin in Washington.
Still, finding a quarterback is 80 percent of the battle. If the Steelers land on an option they’re confident in, the rest can be figured out later. As things stand now, the idea of Sanders slipping and the Steelers being in position to draft him, which would likely require Deion Sanders’ blessing, is doubtful. But much can change from now until April’s draft.
