The 2025 NFL Draft is right around the corner, and rumors are heating up. For the Pittsburgh Steelers, the big question is if they’ll take a quarterback in Round 1. Shedeur Sanders is the name gaining the most traction in connection to the Steelers. Where he’ll fall in the draft, though, is a complete mystery. Mike Tomlin’s recent comments make it seem like he loves Sanders as a prospect. However, CBS Sports insider Jonathan Jones wonders if something else may be at work based on the Steelers’ pre-draft press conference Tuesday.
“Mike Tomlin just went on and on and on about Shedeur Sanders,” Jones said Wednesday on CBS Sports HQ. “It was very un-Tomlinlike. It felt a little bit, the more he kept praising Shedeur, and I’m not saying he didn’t mean any of the praise. All the praise could very well be warranted, and probably is, but it felt like this was a little bit of a smokescreen, for some reason, for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“Why is it that you are speaking so loudly and proudly about this player? Is it because you want to help correct what you believe to be an inaccurate narrative that is developing out there on the young man?”
That’s a fair question from Jones. It isn’t often that Tomlin is so open about his love for a prospect. However, the Steelers usually don’t try to hide what they’re going to do in the draft, especially the first round. There tend to be clues that paint a decent picture of Pittsburgh’s plans.
Maybe Tomlin was trying to help dispel some of the narratives around Sanders. Rumors have swirled about Sanders’ attitude being a problem. Tomlin might simply want to help set the record straight about a young man whose NFL career is right in front of him.
However, during draft season, teams often put up smokescreens to disguise their actual intentions. The Steelers usually don’t do that, but they’ve been doing some things different lately. Their front office has undergone some changes since Kevin Colbert retired. They could be more inclined to partake in misdirection leading up to the draft.
For the past few weeks, reports have indicated that Tomlin really likes Sanders, so maybe his recent comments were just up-front honesty. Quarterback is the Steelers’ biggest need, and Sanders seems to be widely viewed as the second-best signal caller in this draft. Like with most things leading up to the draft, it’s unclear what the truth is. Fans won’t have to wait long to find out, though.
