No matter if the Pittsburgh Steelers come away with Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson, or something else, they should have an eye toward the NFL Draft. Getting younger in a room lacking a long-term possibility is key and nothing will get the Steelers out of their rut until they land a franchise quarterback. In next month’s draft, the team could be eyeing Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart or Ohio State’s Will Howard.
Per the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac, the Steelers have interest in both.
“Maybe in the third round take a chance on a guy if there’s someone they like,” Dulac told Dan Patrick on his namesake show Tuesday. “I’m not gonna sit here and tell you it’s Jaxson Dart or Will Howard. But I do know they have interest in those guys.”
The 2025 quarterback class is considered weak compared to most years and pales in comparison to 2024 when a record six quarterbacks were selected within the first dozen picks. This year, only two names could be called that early and possibly even one as Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders’ stock is more difficult to gauge now than it was immediately after the season.
Dart has generated more pre-draft buzz than anyone and draftniks no longer consider him a third-round selection. Some have even speculated that he is a first-round dark horse. Howard is locked into the middle rounds but boosted his stock by leading Ohio State to a national championship, playing his best ball when it counted most. Pittsburgh loves a winner.
Dart and Howard’s styles contrast. Dart is smaller and more athletic, a gritty tough-it-out quarterback capable of extending plays and throwing off-platform. Howard fits the mold of an old-school pocket passer with comps to Blake Bortles while our own scouting report compared him to Matt Hasselbeck or Matt Schaub.
With only six selections and plenty of needs, the Steelers will have to be smart how they allocate resources. Drafting a quarterback for the future must happen at some point but a rookie quarterback won’t help a franchise mired in its longest playoff drought since the merger win now. But a mid-round quarterback remains a possibility and is something the franchise has done several times throughout the Mike Tomlin era. There’s a great case to be made to do it again.
