The Pittsburgh Steelers will shy away from Shedeur Sanders and all other quarterbacks in the first round, Gerry Dulac believes. This is the wagon he has hitched himself to for some time, but it’s notable for multiple reasons. For one, his latest comments came on the eve of the draft. For another thing, he was frequent and adamant about it.
He told one reader in his recent chat that he was “very perceptive” to view the Steelers’ pre-draft interest in Shedeur Sanders as a smokescreen. Asked whom he believes the Steelers like more between Sanders and Jaxson Dart, he wrote, “I don’t think it’s going to matter”. He told another reader he doesn’t think he’ll have to worry about the influence of Deion Sanders.
Elsewhere, one reader asked Dulac to name one position other than defensive line or quarterback the Steelers might select in the first round. He corrected the reader to say, “You mean other than DL?”, as if to say quarterback isn’t in the running. And then he listed running back and wide receiver—no quarterback.
It was Dulac who reported—and reiterated multiple times—that the Steelers have first-round grades on both quarterbacks Shedeur Sanders and Jaxson Dart. To some, this seemed to mean they will take one if available, due to the importance of the position. Asked if they could “afford not to take” a quarterback they have a first-round grade on, he wrote, “Yes they can”.
You get the idea, but really, it goes on, and strongly. Asked to put a percentage chance on the Steelers drafting Sanders, Dulac, responded, “How low can I go?”. And asked which players the Steelers are targeting in the first round, he named everything but quarterback. He even listed safety, “though they don’t need a safety”.
In other words, Dulac will look absolutely awful if the Steelers draft a quarterback tonight, especially Shedeur Sanders. But I don’t think he will, at least not for this, because I don’t think they draft a quarterback tonight. Of course, I don’t know anything that the average fan doesn’t know, so, again, mileage may vary.
There is no question that the Steelers need a quarterback, but is Sanders or Dart the answer? If you draft a quarterback and he doesn’t solve your problem, you’re arguably worse off than before. Some may argue the Steelers can’t afford not to take a quarterback in the first round, but others will argue they can’t afford to. Whoever’s right depends on how this quarterback class turns out, of course.
At some point, you have to take the bat off of your shoulder. But don’t swing at a pitch you’re not confident you can hit out of the park if you’re in a home run derby. And the Steelers are always playing for the home run derby—the Super Bowl. They swung and missed in 2022 with Kenny Pickett. I don’t buy that that made them gun-shy, but if anything it reminded them that this is a crapshoot.
