The city of Pittsburgh will host the 2026 NFL Draft. For a city as passionate about its team as Pittsburgh is, that will obviously be a big deal. The first player drafted by the Steelers will likely get a massive roar from the crowd. ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky thinks that selection might come much earlier than Steelers fans hope, especially if they don’t make a serious move at QB throughout the rest of this offseason.
“If you’re the Steelers, and you don’t get a quarterback in the first round of this year’s draft, and you will not entertain Aaron Rodgers?” Orlovsky asked on ESPN’s First Take on Monday. “Then Steelers fans, get used to hearing the name Drew Allar, or Arch Manning, or Cade Klubnik, or LaNorris Sellers. ‘Cause you will guarantee yourself a top-five pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.”
The Steelers are still waiting on Aaron Rodgers. If his interview with Pat McAfee on Thursday gave us any insight, it’s that the 41-year old doesn’t seem ready to come to a decision anytime soon. The Steelers remain his best destination at this point. However, Rodgers still won’t rule out retirement, which is far from an encouraging sign for the Steelers.
For obvious reasons, that makes the draft a massive moment in the 2025 offseason for Pittsburgh. They have the 21st overall pick, which should put them in position to land one of Shedeur Sanders, Jaxson Dart, or maybe even Jalen Milroe.
The Steelers could use that draft pick on one of those QBs. However, with various other positions needing depth, particularly the defensive line, their lack of a second-round pick makes it harder to upgrade the rest of the roster. And if the Steelers do address a different position, the way their draft picks stand now, they’d have to wait until the 83rd overall selection to get that quarterback.
If Pittsburgh doesn’t take a QB, it’s safe to assume the team feels confident about Rodgers coming in. If he doesn’t, the Steelers claim to be confident in Mason Rudolph. In that case, Orlovsky thinks Pittsburgh would have a terrible year and end up with a top-five pick.
Unfortunately, there’s a decent chance he’s right about that. Rudolph is well-received in the locker room and knows the organization well. Those are great things to keep in mind. With that said, Rudolph hasn’t played like a starting quarterback on a consistent basis yet in his career. If the Steelers have to count on him to do that in 2025, they might be out of luck.
