As it stands, the Pittsburgh Steelers have a while to wait before making their lone selection on Day 2 of the 2025 NFL Draft. That means the Steelers need to be flexible with what they are targeting. A lot of players will go before they get on the clock. But they certainly have an idea of where they want to go. Will they finally address the quarterback position?
When team president Art Rooney II joined Steelers Nation Radio on Friday, he was asked about what the Steelers are thinking about doing with their third-round pick. While he did not name any specific players, he did give some clues about the team’s thought process.
“I don’t think we have it narrowed down to a position in the third round, per se,” Rooney said. “But, obviously, at some point we’d like to get a running back here and maybe a quarterback. But there are a number of places we can go. There’s still a lot of good players out there to be drafted.”
For a lot of people, the Steelers made waves Thursday night when they selected DT Derrick Harmon with all but one of the quarterbacks still on the board. Only two quarterbacks ended up getting taken in the first round, with Jaxson Dart going to the New York Giants via trade-up. Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders slipped out of the first round entirely.
There will certainly be quarterback options in the third round. The question is how good those options will be. Will Sanders continue his free fall? What about Alabama QB Jalen Milroe? Insider Mark Kaboly said the Steelers would “sprint” to draft Milroe if he is available at the 83rd pick. And Louisville QB Tyler Shough went early in the second round to the New Orleans Saints.
The Steelers also need a running back. Right now, they have Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell as their top backs. They certainly met with a lot of running backs during the pre-draft process. You can expect that the Steelers will be adding a running back at some point in the draft process. But some options went early in the second round, with two Ohio State backs in Quinshon Judkins and Treyveon Henderson going off the board quickly.
Don’t be surprised if the Steelers go offense with their third-round pick, either a quarterback or running back. Obviously, those positions are on Art Rooney II’s mind tonight.
