The Pittsburgh Steelers have been closely linked with Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders with the NFL Draft kicking off in just a few minutes. NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport reported on NFL Network’s coverage ahead of the draft that taking Sanders is “in the conversation” for the Steelers, but he said it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Steelers pass and trade up on Day 2 for a quarterback.
“They’ve done from Shedeur Sanders, Cam Ward, obviously not gonna be a factor. But Tyler Shough, Jaxson Dart, those names would be in consideration. Just don’t really know if you have to do it at 21. If they pass on Shedeur, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them take a small leap up tomorrow night, maybe get one of those quarterbacks.”
The Steelers hosted Sanders, Shough and Dart for pre-draft visits, and the team also had a formal meeting with Dart at the NFL Combine. There’s a serious question of whether Dart will fall to Day 2, but there’s still a collection of quarterbacks beyond the names that Rapoport listed that the Steelers could be interested in. Kyle McCord and Will Howard are potential options for the Steelers on Day 2, and with the team’s need at quarterback, seeing them get one early in the draft wouldn’t be a surprise. McCord was also a pre-draft visitor with the Steelers.
The problem for the Steelers right now is their relative lack of draft capital, with just six picks in this draft. But to move up, the Steelers could get creative and include future picks, especially with four compensatory selections expected next season. If the team likes a quarterback enough and doesn’t take Sanders tonight, they could be willing to move up so they don’t miss out by sticking with their original third round selection.
If Pittsburgh does take Sanders, obviously they won’t be in the quarterback market beyond tonight. But it’ll be telling if they pass if Sanders is still on the board, and moving up tomorrow could then be a legitimate possibility. Right now, the Steelers have Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson in their quarterback room and they’ve been widely expected to add a quarterback, even with Aaron Rodgers a potential option for Pittsburgh.
Whether that happens tonight or later in the draft remains to be seen. But if it doesn’t happen tonight, don’t be surprised if the Steelers get aggressive to land another arm to their room.
