The Pittsburgh Steelers don’t disguise their interest in draft prospects however much Mike Tomlin might want you to think they do. Most of their draft picks come from their pre-draft visitor list, and the rest almost always have solid ties to the team throughout the pre-draft process in other ways. This year, it is undeniable that they are interested in the quarterback class with due diligence complete on nearly all of the top prospects.
According to ESPN’s Jordan Reid, that interest is real, and it’s expected to materialize early in the draft.
“Even with [Aaron] Rodgers expected to eventually sign with Pittsburgh, the Steelers are in the market for a quarterback early in the draft,” Reid wrote via ESPN’s latest draft buzz post. “The DK Metcalf trade left them with only two picks in the first three rounds, and they are expected to spend one of those on a young quarterback.”
With no second-round pick, using one of the first two picks is a tough pill to swallow. In my mind, that almost guarantees that the Steelers pursue a defensive lineman with the other top pick. It’s a loaded class at the position, but they still can’t afford to wait until Day 3 to address one of their top issues. Unless Shedeur Sanders falls to 21, I lean on a d-lineman being the pick in the first round, which would mean a quarterback is the leading candidate for the third round.
The Steelers have met with or had pre-draft visits in Pittsburgh with Sanders, Tyler Shough, Will Howard, Kyle McCord, Jalen Milroe, Quinn Ewers and Jaxson Dart.
Dart and Milroe have been receiving first-round buzz lately, but that doesn’t guarantee they will be picked early. Think back to Malik Willis in 2022 and how he slid to the third round. That could happen with Dart or Milroe.
If not, Shough is a possibility, though he has been getting second-round buzz. Howard and McCord could end up being the best options remaining by the time the Steelers are back on the clock at No. 83 overall. If that’s the case, would they opt to wait another round for a quarterback?
They also have draft needs at running back, cornerback and wide receiver with safety being a sleeper position that isn’t getting talked about enough. There are enough running backs where it wouldn’t be the end of the world to wait until the fourth or fifth round to address that need.
If the Steelers end up drafting a third-round quarterback, I wouldn’t worry too much about it hindering their desire to draft a first-round quarterback in 2026. They should have plenty of draft capital to make that happen.
