The Pittsburgh Steelers had a clear plan entering the 2025 NFL Draft, particularly at quarterback. They executed that plan very well with the addition of Ohio State’s Will Howard in the sixth round at No. 185 overall.
Yet, all anyone can seemingly talk about post-draft is how the Steelers botched it, especially after they passed on Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders three times before he wound up a member of the Cleveland Browns.
ESPN’s Dan Graziano won’t question the Steelers though. In a piece for ESPN.com Sunday morning, Graziano called it an overreaction to say that the Steelers blew it at quarterback in the draft.
“I just can’t rip the Steelers for not forcing a quarterback. They did exactly that three years ago when they selected Kenny Pickett in the first round of a draft in which no other quarterbacks went before the third round. Whiffing on Pickett is a big part of the reason they find themselves in their current quarterback pickle,” Graziano writes. “If there had been a guy there at No. 21 — or even at No. 83 — whom they truly believed in as their long-term franchise QB, they should absolutely have taken him.
“But clearly there was not, and the Steelers have repeatedly told us they believe they still have avenues for addressing the position between now and the start of the season.”
The Steelers could have forced it at quarterback with someone like Sanders, Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart, Louisville’s Tyler Shough or even Alabama’s Jalen Milroe. They showed interest in all of them throughout the pre-draft process and had some opportunities to land one of them.
But they passed. They didn’t force anything, staying true to their board and their philosophy. In the process, they really added some good pieces at areas of need, and then they landed a quarterback they like quite a bit in Howard.
Drafting a QB at No. 21 in the first round or No. 83 in the third round, or even No. 123 would have been a reach for the Steelers. But it would have satisfied the pundits — at least until that quarterback didn’t work out and they turned to criticize the Steelers for the miss.
Right now, it appears that Aaron Rodgers should be that answer at QB for 2025 with Mason Rudolph as the backup and Howard as QB3, a developmental piece to work with. On top of that, the Steelers should have quite the draft capital at their disposal for the 2026 draft, which many believe will be loaded at QB.
They have a plan, and they’re executing it well. Credit to Graziano for not overreacting to the Steelers not picking a QB early.
