What will the Pittsburgh Steelers do with the 21st pick in the 2025 NFL Draft? Will they take a quarterback like Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders? Will they take a defensive tackle like Oregon’s Derrick Harmon? Or will they move back in the draft?
You can make a convincing case for all three options. The Steelers only have quarterbacks Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson on their roster, so quarterback makes a lot of sense. DT Cam Heyward is another year older, so a defensive lineman to groom as a replacement for himm would be smart. And the Steelers don’t have a second-round pick because of the trade for WR DK Metcalf, so getting more picks would also be sensible.
But the quarterback position is the most important position on the football field. It’s the difference between contending for a playoff spot and contending for a Super Bowl. So why would the Steelers not target a quarterback with the 21st pick? It has everything to do with the difference in potential between this year’s class and the 2026 quarterback class.
“There is a sensibility that exists in the Steelers’ building, that ‘If we don’t get one this year, maybe our answer is next year,'” ESPN NFL insider Dan Graziano said Thursday on Get Up.
Perhaps there is a divide in Pittsburgh about how to handle the quarterback position this year. The Steelers have met extensively with Sanders, Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart, and Alabama QB Jalen Milroe. And according to Peter Schrager, the pre-draft visit with Sanders went extremely well.
Maybe head coach Mike Tomlin is actually enamored with Shedeur Sanders. He could be pushing to finally get his Ben Roethlisberger replacement. But perhaps the team’s scouting department, led by general manager Omar Khan, thinks the team could be better served by waiting until next year. For the record, insider Gerry Dulac thinks the Steelers won’t target a quarterback in the first round.
“Next year’s quarterback class coming out of college football is going to be like last year’s,” Dan Orlovsky said during the same segment on Get Up. “You’re going to talk about six guys that have the potential to go in the first round.”
Six quarterbacks in the first round would be a big departure from this year’s class. The only virtual guarantee is that Miami QB Cam Ward is going first overall to the Tennessee Titans. From there, it’s a crapshoot. Some believe that Ward will be the only first-round quarterback. Some believe that both Sanders and Dart could go in the latter stages of the first round, likely by some combination of teams trading up and the Steelers taking one.
But the Steelers haven’t put all their quarterback eggs in one basket this season. They have been pursuing QB Aaron Rodgers. And there have been rumors circulating that they are interested in trading for Atlanta Falcons QB Kirk Cousins. Perhaps there are elements in the Steelers’ building that want to go with a veteran option this year and pursue a better rookie option in 2026.
What is certain is that the Steelers need to find a franchise quarterback to get back into championship contention. None of the non-draft solutions will reignite their pursuit of another Super Bowl. And while Tomlin loves to say that the team can’t live in its fears, the Steelers certainly seem to be fearing a repeat of the Kenny Pickett saga. At some point, they need to take another swing at finding that franchise quarterback. And no half-hearted bunt, either.
Will the Steelers go after QB Shedeur Sanders tonight? Or will they wait for 2026? We aren’t too far away from finding out, thankfully.
