Colin Cowherd has not been shy about panning the Pittsburgh Steelers, especially recently. Throughout the offseason, he’s been critical of their waiting game with Aaron Rodgers and the organization’s philosophy in general. It turns out, he doesn’t feel the same way about the Steelers when it comes to Shedeur Sanders.
On FS1’s The Herd Wednesday, Cowherd named Pittsburgh as an ideal landing spot for Sanders in the NFL Draft next week.
“I do think if Shedeur dropped to 21 (overall pick) and went to Pittsburgh, or they moved up a few spots, that’s actually a good spot for him,” Cowherd said. “Because their quarterback room has been so bad for so several years, he’ll be a breath of fresh air.”
If Shedeur Sanders drops to 21, the Steelers will have to feel lucky. Earlier in the offseason, not many expected him to make it out of the top five. With the Cleveland Browns and the New York Giants owning the second and third overall picks, respectively, plus the New Orleans Saints at No. 9, lot that would have to break Pittsburgh’s way for Sanders to fall that far.
However, Sanders is clearly somebody they’re interested in. He visited their facility last week, and the Steelers aren’t wasting a visit on a player they don’t think they have a realistic shot at drafting. Mike Tomlin is also said to be high on Sanders. Which is obviously important news just a week away from the draft.
However, there’s a lot of room between the Saints at ninth overall, and the Steelers at 21st. If Sanders drops past New Orleans, there’s plenty of spots for teams to trade up ahead of Pittsburgh. If the Steelers truly feel like Sanders is their guy, they might need to act aggressively.
After their last first-round QB in Kenny Pickett didn’t pan out, it’s natural for some to feel anxious about that idea. However, Cowherd doesn’t have those concerns when it comes to Sanders.
“He is a different level player than Kenny Pickett,” Cowher said. “I have my issues, [but] it is a patient organization, and it is a very good roster. Pittsburgh to me still has a top 7-8 roster in the league.”
Cowherd’s typically critical of how the Steelers build their roster. He doesn’t like how much they spend on the defensive side of the ball. This is an interesting change of tune from him. To be fair, though, the Steelers have approached this offseason differently than in years past, especially after trading for WR DK Metcalf and extending his contract.
It’s easy to why Cowherd is more optimistic about Pittsburgh with Sanders, though. After being led by the tail by Aaron Rodgers throughout the offseason, leaving the draft with a potential long-term answer at QB feels like a good move. There are other needs to address, of course, but locking down the quarterback position is hard to argue with.
