One of the biggest shockers of the first round of the draft this year was that Shedeur Sanders did not hear his name called. After being widely viewed as the second-best quarterback in this class entering the pre-draft process, Sanders’ stock seemed to slip. He fell out of the first round entirely. Jaxson Dart even went ahead of him. Now, Sanders will be hoping to hear his name in the second round, but draft analyst Dane Brugler isn’t sure that’s going to happen.
“Shedeur is tough to project,” Brugler wrote Friday on Twitter. “[Cleveland] is loading up with picks for 2026 to get a QB. I don’t think the Saints are a Shedeur team (Shough would be my guess). [The Raiders] paid Geno [Smith] but can’t rule them out. Best guess might be [the Pittsburgh Steelers] (3rd round or trade up).”
Few people do as much work on the draft as Brugler. Therefore, his opinion carries some weight. If he isn’t sure where to project Sanders, then Day 2 could be another long wait for the quarterback.
That could be good news for the Steelers. In the first round, they were one of the teams most connected to Sanders. Reports seemed to indicate that the Steelers were split on their opinion of him. Mike Tomlin seems to like Sanders, though. Taking him in the first round ultimately proved to be too rich for the Steelers’ blood.
They might not be able to pass on him if he falls to the third round, though. With no second-round pick due to the DK Metcalf trade, the Steelers’ next selection is slated to come at 83. Sanders would have to suffer a massive fall to make it there.
However, there aren’t many other obvious quarterback-needy teams left. Brugler states that the Browns and Saints seem to be out of the race for Sanders. The New York Giants drafted Dart in Round 1. The Raiders seem like a possibility, but like Brugler writes, they just paid Smith a lot of money. However, that hasn’t stopped teams from drafting quarterbacks before.
That leaves the Steelers as ostensibly one of the few options left. Brugler also makes it seem like the Steelers could trade up for Sanders. That would be a fascinating scenario. They don’t have a ton of draft capital this year, but it’s possible that they could part with some 2026 picks.
It all depends on how far Sanders falls, and if the Steelers can find the right partner for a trade. Omar Khan hasn’t ruled out making a deal. A trade up feels unlikely, but not out of the question. It sounds like Sanders could still wind up in Pittsburgh. That saga is not over yet.
