If you were among those hoping the interest in Shedeur Sanders was just due diligence, I have some bad news for you this morning. Multiple reports are now stating that there is a mutual interest and that Mike Tomlin has taken a particular liking to the Colorado quarterback.
“I tend to trust where I’m getting this information,” Todd McShay said Tuesday via The McShay Show on YouTube. “Mike Tomlin really likes Shedeur. If he’s there at 21, Shedeur could very well be a Pittsburgh Steeler.”
Information that surfaces this time of year is always tough to trust as it is peak smoke screen and lying season, but McShay did preface this information with the disclaimer that he trusts wherever he got his information.
This isn’t an overly surprising report to me. Mike Tomlin and the Steelers value pedigree and Sanders has that in droves. He’s practically NFL royalty as the son of one of the best Hall of Fame players of all time. Though Sanders has yet to play in the NFL, he grew up around it and has experienced some of the overwhelming media pressure that comes with it due to all the attention his father commands.
Even with all that pressure, Sanders has found ways to win in college programs that had an extensive history of the opposite. That is something Tomlin would place high value on, and I am sure it would be near the top of the list of things he mentions about Sanders in his post-pick press conference if he ends up being drafted by the Steelers.
Steelers reporter Jeff Hathhorn of 93.7 The Fan was asked if McShay’s report is accurate via The Fan Morning Show today.
“Yeah, there is mutual respect, mutual interest,” Hathhorn said. “I think it starts with his father and then trickles down to the son and yeah. It’s no secret the Steelers are interested in a quarterback. They need a quarterback and Shedeur is high on their list.”
When Sanders was in for his pre-draft visit last week, he later told the media that it went exceedingly well. He described it as a 10 (out of 10) visit. He compared Mike Tomlin to his father in the way that they speak and approach coaching football.
McShay mentioned that the only two teams he could see going for Sanders in the first round are the New York Giants at No. 3 or the Steelers are No. 21 with the remote possibility of somebody trading ahead of the Steelers if they really like him.
The Giants, for what it’s worth, are in Colorado today for one final private workout with Sanders, per Adam Schefter.
Our Alex Kozora broke down the pros and cons of Sanders this morning and whether or not he would be on board with a first-round pick being used on him next week. Opinions will be mixed, but it sounds like the Steelers might be reaching a consensus on him as a possibility.
