The NFL Draft is just a few weeks away, and the Pittsburgh Steelers still don’t know who their quarterback will be for 2025. With the team waiting on QB Aaron Rodgers to make a decision, one that could come closer to the draft, NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah thinks it could impact Pittsburgh’s draft strategy. Appearing on Up & Adams this morning, Jeremiah said that if the Steelers sign Rodgers, he believes the team will look to draft another offensive weapon in the first round.
“I just feel like if the Aaron Rodgers thing gets done, which everybody’s kind of expecting that it does get done, I think they try and get another player to try and help him on that side of the ball. I think to me, you’re looking at another weapon, whether that’s Emeka Egbuka, someone like that. We’ll see if [Tetairoa] McMillan’s still there from Arizona.”
Jeremiah said that if the Steelers are making the commitment to have Rodgers as their QB1, they need to give him help to make the move “look smart.”
“I would think if you’re gonna make that commitment and kind of go out on that ledge and do the Aaron Rodgers thing…man you gotta get someone that’s gonna make that decision look smart.”
Pittsburgh upgraded its receiving corps this offseason with the addition of WR DK Metcalf, but the team is still looking at the position ahead of the draft. Running back is another offensive need the team will likely address in the draft, and Jeremiah had the Steelers selecting RB Ashton Jeanty in one of his mock drafts.
The Steelers had a formal meeting at the Combine with Emeka Egbuka, and while Tetairoa McMillan once looked like he could be the first receiver off the board, his stock has seemingly slid over the past few weeks. Pittsburgh also had Matthew Golden in for a pre-draft visit last week, so there’s demonstrated interest in some of the draft’s top receivers.
Adding another offensive weapon in the first round would give the Steelers offensive firepower they haven’t had in years, but it would come at the cost of making their defense weaker. As it stands now, defensive line is Pittsburgh’s biggest need, and passing on the position in the first round would mean that the Steelers would need to really rely on a breakout from Keeanu Benton and Cameron Heyward to continue playing like an All-Pro.
It would be a departure in strategy from a team that’s focused on the trenches in recent drafts and has always prioritized their defense. But Pittsburgh’s offense has consistently been an issue going back to the end of Ben Roethlisberger’s career. If the team thinks it can meaningfully upgrade on that side of that of the ball with another weapon in the first round to help give them a better chance of making a postseason run with Rodgers, it’s certainly a possibility they surprise and take a receiver or running back.
