From the very beginning of the pre-draft process back in January, the consensus was that this quarterback class is weak, especially compared to the 2024 quarterback group. Now here we are with less than a week to go until the start of the 2025 NFL Draft and there are four or five quarterbacks who have been mentioned by draft analysts as having first-round potential. Shedeur Sanders and Jaxson Dart are near the top of that list and the Pittsburgh Steelers are reportedly interested in both of them.
“I will tell you Rich that they have a first-round grade on Jaxson Dart, and they really like Shedeur Sanders,” the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac said Friday via The Rich Eisen Show. “Despite whatever post was put out there that he had a terrible meeting [and] it did not go well. Nothing could be further from the truth. They like the guy. They had a great meeting with him.”
If this report is accurate, that is big news for the Steelers’ draft plans at No. 21 overall in the first round. Dulac still thinks that a defensive lineman will be the Steelers’ first-round pick but notes that a quarterback could be in play if the top few d-linemen are unavailable. It’s not out of the question that Walter Nolen, Kenneth Grant and Derrick Harmon could all be gone by the time the Steelers are on the clock.
Dulac’s report doesn’t tell us much about the pecking order between Dart and Sanders, but most draft analysts seem to think Sanders has a better chance of being gone by the time the Steelers pick. That would seem to put Dart in play at 21.
If you remember back to the 2018 NFL Draft, Kevin Colbert said that the Steelers had a first-round grade on Mason Rudolph. This isn’t news to anybody, but first round evaluations don’t always pan out. They also didn’t take Rudolph until the third round, so a first-round grade doesn’t necessarily mean they prioritize that player as their pick if players with better grades are available.
“If they had the number one pick in the draft, they wouldn’t draft Shedeur Sanders, but that doesn’t mean at 21 if certain other guys aren’t there that he won’t be in the conversation,” Dulac said. “There will at least be a conversation with him and Jaxson Dart.”
There was one report that the meeting between Sanders and the Steelers didn’t go well, but four or five other reports have now said exactly the opposite. I think we can safely discount the negative report from Aaron Wilson by now.
The Steelers have spent time with both prospects throughout the pre-draft process, but more with Dart than Sanders. They would have talked to him at the Senior Bowl and then again at the Combine before hosting him for a pre-draft visit.
Dart is a tough and competitive quarterback who was very productive in 2024, but Ole Miss has consistently pumped out quarterbacks who were productive in the Rebels’ system but don’t translate to the NFL. Dart lacks a defining trait that sets him apart from the rest as a first-round talent, but apparently the Steelers disagree with that assessment.
Check out our full scouting report on Dart below.
As for Sanders, he has proven himself to be a winner everywhere he goes. He is the most accurate passer with the most polished mechanics of any quarterbacks in this class. On the downside he has a knack for taking sacks, he drifts in the pocket and his arm strength is nothing special. While he was once viewed as a top-three pick, the chances of him falling continue to look better as time passes.
Check out our full scouting report on Sanders below.
