The Pittsburgh Steelers need to figure out the quarterback position long-term, even if they sign 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers this offseason. That’s led to plenty of talk about QB Jaxson Dart in the pre-draft process.
So far, the Steelers are among teams that have done quite a bit of work on the Ole Miss star, spending time with him at the Senior Bowl, the NFL Scouting Combine, and attending his Pro Day. They also hosted him for a pre-draft visit Friday at their South Side facility, continuing to check a number of boxes when it comes to interest and potentially drafting him.
But for The Athletic’s NFL Draft analyst Dane Brugler, who appeared on ESPN’s The Mina Kimes Show in her War Room Mock Draft show, selecting Dart at No. 21 overall would be a bit too rich for the Steelers.
In fact, in the War Room mock draft, Brugler went with Georgia safety Malaki Starks, giving the Steelers a versatile, experienced piece in the secondary, rather than spending a first-round pick on a quarterback he doesn’t see as a first-round caliber guy.
“If I’m sticking true to my board, it would be Starks. But quarterback is obviously like, how do you stack quarterbacks on your board? Because the value of them is so much different. For a team like the Steelers, Dart starts to make sense because of, you don’t need him to play right away. Hopefully you’re talking about down the road,” Brugler said, according to video via the show’s YouTube page. “I’m gonna go Starks, I’m gonna go to the safety, I’m gonna go to the DB. I’m gonna go with the guy that can play across my secondary and make an impact in a lot of different ways.
“The idea of taking a quarterback there would make sense. But the idea of a quarterback makes sense for the Steelers. I like Jaxson Dart. I just, I think that’s awfully rich to draft him.”
Starks is a player who makes a great deal of sense for the Steelers, considering the interest they’ve shown in the safety position this offseason in the pre-draft process. He is starting to generate some buzz when it comes to a connection with the Steelers after defensive coordinator Teryl Austin put him through position drills during Georgia’s Pro Day on March 13.
He would be a great addition, giving the Steelers another versatile, dependable piece in the secondary, one who comes with a great deal of high-end football experience coming out of Georgia.
But when it comes to comparing him to a quarterback and the position value in the draft, quarterback would likely win over due to the need the Steelers have. But Brugler makes a good point. Selecting Dart at No. 21 overall is awfully rich, especially in a down quarterback class.
Despite NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah comparing Dart to the Philadelphia Eagles’ Jalen Hurts due to the improvements each made every season in college and the skill sets the two have, it’s hard to get to a point where Dart at No. 21 is a good idea.
In three seasons with the Rebels, Dart threw for 10,617 yards and 72 touchdowns with just 22 interceptions. He completed 65.7 percent of his passes under head coach Lane Kiffin and added another 1,498 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns.
He earned first-team All-SEC honors in 2024 and was named the Gator Bowl MVP after his final game with Ole Miss.
Dart has some good moments on tape and some jaw-dropping throws, but as Steelers Depot’s Alex Kozora wrote in his scouting report, he does a lot of things well but doesn’t have any elite traits. That’s not exactly a quarterback you want to take a chance on in the first round, especially in a poor QB class.
But, with the way things are playing out in the pre-draft process, it seems like the Steelers are showing a great deal of interest in Dart. It’s plausible they’d draft him if available. But Brugler can’t quite get there, stating it’s too rich for him in that spot with the type of talent that would be available.
