The Pittsburgh Steelers’ draft plans are starting to take shape with the last couple pieces of the pre-draft process coming together. One thing we know for sure is that quarterbacks are firmly on their radar. They’ve spent time with nearly all of the top names in the class and their interest in Shedeur Sanders, who is reportedly coming in for a visit on Thursday, leaves quarterback a distinct possibility in the first round. Along with Sanders, Jalen Milroe is somebody the Steelers have shown interest in. Both are among the most polarizing prospects in the class with a wide range of opinions on them.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler published a piece this morning with anonymous NFL execs and scouts giving their opinions on some of the 2025 NFL Draft’s most polarizing prospects. Sanders and Milroe were among the 12 players listed. ESPN has Sanders ranked as the No. 14 overall prospect while Milroe is No. 80.
According to Fowler, of the six high-level evaluators he spoke to, four had a first-round grade on Sanders while two did not. This is roughly in line with Bob McGinn’s findings in a similar exercise via Go Long last week. In the end, all it takes is for one team to love the prospect enough to go in the first round, and Fowler reports that Sanders is on the Cleveland Browns’ short list of candidates for the No. 2 overall selection.
“I’m fine with Shedeur’s personality — he’s tough and works really hard,” one AFC exec told Fowler. “He needs to be in a timing offense — three-step drop, timing, throw.”
Sanders took nearly 94 sacks over the last two seasons at Colorado. The offensive line talent wasn’t great in front of him, but he also tends to hold onto the ball too long to create plays. An offense that gets him to stay on time could work out a lot of the kinks and potential drawbacks.
Not everybody is high on Sanders’ potential. To be great, you have to have a defining trait or something you do great. Perhaps Sanders doesn’t have that.
“If it was me, I couldn’t do that,” an AFC exec told Fowler about taking Sanders in the top 10. “Not [a] great athlete, not big, not strong, undisciplined game, comes with scrutiny. Is he going to be good enough?”
While some of these questions could prevent teams from taking Sanders in the top 10, they wouldn’t necessarily prevent a team like the Steelers from taking a swing on him toward the end of the first round. This draft is viewed as a “starters draft” which means there are not a ton of blue-chip players, but there are plenty of solid starters out there. It’s not a very top-heavy group overall. By the time pick No. 21 comes around will there even be any first-round talents on the board?
If the Browns and New York Giants pass on Sanders, he could conceivably fall all the way to the Steelers, though there are some other obstacles in the way.
Our Steven Pavelka gave him a second-round grade in his full scouting report published in the beginning of March.
It’s a different story for Milroe. He does have some special traits to work with, but he is much further behind the process of being NFL ready than Sanders. Fowler writes that his enormous potential could see him get taken relatively early despite being ranked No. 80 overall in his current state.
“At some point someone will say he’s too good an athlete to not take,” an AFC exec told Fowler.
Milroe reportedly ran a 4.46-second 40-yard dash at the Alabama Pro Day. His athleticism is off the charts and his arm talent is not in question. He can push the ball deep down the field and has plenty of zip on his passes. The big issues are his accuracy and consistency.
“If you can sit him for multiple years and then tailor your offense around him, you could really have something,” an NFL scout told Fowler. “But you would have to be all-in on his dual-threat ability. Work ethic is not a concern with him.”
The Steelers haven’t had Milroe in for a pre-draft visit, but there are still roughly eight more to be announced. They did have a Pro Day dinner with him, which is worth paying attention to.
For what it’s worth, Colin Cowherd reported that an NFL exec told him the Steelers really like Milroe and could take him in the first round. Fowler said that a frequent comparison for Milroe in the scouting circles is Justin Fields. If the Steelers couldn’t get Fields to re-sign and they valued his skill set, then why not draft a similar quarterback to develop?
It wouldn’t surprise me in the least if both of these players fall, or if both of them end up going high in the draft. Milroe was reportedly invited to the first-round event at the NFL Draft, indicating that the league thinks he will be taken early.
Our Alex Kozora gave him a fourth-round grade in his full scouting report published back in January.
