The Pittsburgh Steelers still need a quarterback. About a week away from the NFL Draft, the first round is looking like an increasingly likely spot for them to find one. Shedeur Sanders remains an option, although it’s uncertain whether he’d slide to the Steelers at the 21st overall pick or not. Jalen Milroe is more of a surprising option, but he is attending the first round of the draft in Green Bay.
On Friday, Matt Miller and Jordan Reid published an article with ESPN, in which they listed the biggest need and best value for each team in the first round. For Pittsburgh, Miller pegged Milroe as a player who could fill a ‘big need’ in Pittsburgh.
“Pittsburgh has two quarterbacks right now — Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson,” Miller wrote. “Milroe is raw, but he brings rare running ability to the position and can rip a beautiful deep ball.”
Jalen Milroe definitely is raw. He had some problems as a passer and threw several head-scratching interceptions during the 2024 season. With that said, he has arguably the highest ceiling of any QB prospect in this year’s class.
Most of the reason for that is his ability as a runner. His athleticism is extremely impressive for the position, and it’s a layer to his game that could work well in Arthur Smith’s offense. Smith loves a QB who can use his legs, and if Milroe was to see any action in his rookie year, the offense would likely mirror what we saw with Justin Fields at the beginning of the 2024 season.
He’ll need to develop further to be worth the 21st overall pick, though. If Milroe can put everything together as a passer, he could have a great career. Milroe will most likely be taken near the second round, where the Steelers unfortunately don’t have a pick. If he’s still available there, and Pittsburgh doesn’t select a QB in round one, he could be an option to trade up and get.
Reid, on the other hand, thinks Sanders is the best value the Steelers could get at No. 21.
“The Steelers finally get their young quarterback and receive tremendous value, too,” Reid wrote. “Sanders just cracks the top 20 on my board as a poised and accurate passer who’s a true distributor.”
As we inch closer to the draft, Sanders’ stock seems to be falling more and more. That’s a good thing for Pittsburgh, though. If the Steelers don’t take a defensive tackle in the first round, quarterback feels like the next choice. Getting Sanders at No. 21 is as good as they can do in that regard.
Sanders took a visit with the Steelers last week. Mike Tomlin is also said to be a fan of the young quarterback. If he’s still available, he could finally offer an answer for the future of the QB position in Pittsburgh.
