No matter what Aaron Rodgers decides, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ long-term needs are the same. Whether Rodgers signs with the Steelers, waits out the Minnesota Vikings, or retires to fly a hot air balloon around the world (all three equally likely outcomes), the franchise needs its long-term quarterback. 2025 probably isn’t the year to get one. A weak draft class, a Pittsburgh team lacking draft capital to trade up even if they wanted to. But 2026? The Steelers are in play.
Intentional or not, one heck of a plan is coming together for Pittsburgh to go all-in on a quarterback in April 2026. The draft class is expected to be stronger, and the Steelers will have the picks to move up the board.
In 2025, two to maybe three quarterbacks are expected to be taken in the first round. Miami (FL)’s Cam Ward is closing in on slam-dunk status as the No. 1 overall pick to Tennessee. Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders is a virtual lock to hear his name called on Thursday night, though determining how long he’ll wait is harder. Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart is the true Wild Card. Is the hype over him real? Or is he another Malik Willis or Tom Savage, pre-draft buzz fizzling out when teams actually decide?
Even if all three are first-rounders, they pale in comparison to last year’s class, in which six quarterbacks went in the top dozen picks. The consensus is that Ward, Sanders, and Dart wouldn’t have jumped anyone from last year’s class and would’ve been ranked behind Bo Nix, the sixth quarterback to be taken. The 2025 class lacks the “can’t-miss” prospects.
2026? Could be a different story. Predicting the strength of a draft class this far out is difficult. Prospects fall, prospects rise. Joe Burrow’s ascension to the No. 1 pick in 2020 wasn’t predicted a year out. In his too-early 2020 mock, Todd McShay projected Tua Tagovailoa, Justin Herbert, and Madden-generated-prospect Nate Stanley from Iowa would be the classes’ first-rounders. Burrow was nowhere to be found. Stanley never threw an NFL pass.
But the early belief is 2026 will be strong. Texas’ Arch Manning could be the crown jewel if he plays well and if he declares. Penn State’s Drew Allar and LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier could’ve come out in 2025 but opted to return to school and work on their flaws—smart decisions by both. Perhaps Tennessee’s Nico Iamaleava breaks out to a Burrow-like season in the Volunteers’ high-tempo offense. Clemson’s Cabe Klubnik and South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers will also be worth watching, and who knows who else emerges to join them.
Any high-end prospect will likely be out of the Steelers’ initial draft range. Since 2008, Mike Tomlin’s first draft class after his first full season coaching, Pittsburgh’s never held an original first-rounder higher than 15th overall. In 2019, they traded up from No. 20 to No. 10. and in 2023, moved from 17th to 14th. Assuming they’re in the classic 20-25 range (the Steelers function much like Leonardo DiCaprio), they’ll have to jump teams to nab a quarterback.
Costly? Sure. But as we’ve written about before, it’s no excuse. The Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills, and Baltimore Ravens all traded up in the first round to land their future franchise quarterbacks.
Pittsburgh is building the ammunition to make a move that won’t leave the cupboards empty. Thanks to Russell Wilson’s signing with the New York Giants, the Steelers could receive up to three third-round compensatory picks in the 2026 draft: one for Wilson, one for Dan Moore Jr., and even one for Justin Fields if playing time shakes out the right way (currently, he’s projected to net a high fourth-rounder).
Granted, third-rounders alone may not be enough to make a deal to trade up, say, 15 spots. But it’ll either sweeten the pot along with the first-rounders Pittsburgh will give away or provide cushion if the Steelers keep one or two of them in a deal. Assume a trade goes like this:
Steelers Trade: No. 21, 2026 2nd Rounder, 2027 1st Rounder
Steelers Receive: No. 8, 2026 4th Rounder
In that made-up scenario, Pittsburgh would still have two, three, or four third-rounders. They could land their high-prized quarterback and still be able to build a roster in the Top 100. It’s a win-win.
Of course, the backdrop this could all take place in is Pittsburgh, home of next year’s draft. The first one the city has held in the modern era (they held one for the 1948 edition, but it’s a far cry from the glitz and glamour today’s draft offers). Location won’t impact the moves the Steelers do and don’t make. Still, it would be poetic for the future of the franchise to walk along the stage in front of Acrisure Stadium, hug Roger Goodell, and make the short drive to the team’s facility to hold his press conference.
The Steelers could still draft a third or fourth-round quarterback this year as one developmental option. They’re doing their homework on the candidates: Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, Louisville’s Tyler Shough, and perhaps Ohio State’s Will Howard (the Buckeyes’ Wednesday Pro Day will tell us more). But that wouldn’t prevent the team from spending a first-rounder next year if there’s an option they love. Heck, the Arizona Cardinals once drafted back-to-back first-round quarterbacks, quickly dumping Josh Rosen for Kyler Murray. It was the right move.
This is all speculation. Predicting what Pittsburgh will do in next month’s draft is still murky, let alone mapping out what will happen in 2026. But the pieces are falling into place for the Steelers to – hopefully – find their future a little more than 12 months from now.
