The quarterback position is arguably the biggest need for the Pittsburgh Steelers entering the offseason, whether that’s in free agency or the 2025 NFL Draft. Though the draft class is a weaker one from all perspectives, the Steelers don’t appear to be in any position to trade up into the top two to land the likes of Miami (FL)’s Cam Ward or Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, as those appear to be the consensus top two.
However, in the latest mock draft coming out of the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis last week, The Athletic’s Dane Brugler doesn’t believe the Steelers have to move up to land one of those quarterbacks. In fact, in the mock he posted Tuesday morning, Brugler paired the Steelers with Sanders in a surprise fall to No. 21, giving the Steelers a crack at a franchise quarterback by sitting tight.
“Sanders is going to be a wild card in this draft. He could go in the top six or fall out of the first round entirely — and neither outcome would be a shock,” Brugler writes regarding the selection of Sanders to the Steelers in his latest mock draft. “He is not a first-round quarterback for a lot of NFL teams, which isn’t a major surprise (and matches my evaluation). But all it takes is one front office to roll the dice on his skill set.
“If Sanders falls out of the top 10, this would be an interesting landing spot. The Steelers are searching for answers at the QB position.”
That would be quite the fall for Sanders, who many believe will go in the top 5-7 picks, based on position and need for teams picking that high. The son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, Shedeur has raised some eyebrows with his comments and decisions in the pre-draft process, committing to the East-West Shrine Bowl but not participating, not doing any drills at the Combine, and based on a report from The Ringer’s Todd McShay, Sanders came off as a guy that didn’t care in some interviews at the Combine.
Despite that report from McShay, Sanders has good tape and proved his toughness across two seasons at Colorado, taking a beating behind a poor offensive line but continuing to get up and keep fighting.
In Boulder, Sanders — like the rest of the Colorado program — burst onto the scene and put up some impressive numbers. In two seasons, Sanders threw for 6,452 yards with 54 touchdowns and just 10 interceptions, completing 71% of his passes. He processes well, is tough as nails in the pocket, and has good mobility to extend plays and make big-time throws down the field.
Accuracy is Sanders’ calling card, as he can put the ball wherever he wants with touch and pace. His toughness in the pocket and ability to stand tall and deliver is huge, too. But working in muddy pockets and being under constant duress have created some negative habits, too, with Sanders drifting in the pocket and bailing early. That’ll have to be cleaned up.
Though there is some baggage that comes with Sanders from a media attention aspect, he’s revered as a leader coming out of college and aged a significant factor in changing the culture at Colorado.
A fall this far down the board to No. 21 would be quite shocking, regardless of what Brugler has to say, but would be a major coupe for the Steelers, who are in need of finding a long-term answer at the quarterback position and would get a great chance at finding that answer with the selection of Sanders in this scenario.
