Aaron Rodgers is still not a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers, leaving them with a void at quarterback. Mike Tomlin seems comfortable with Mason Rudolph as the Steelers’ starter, but they still need to add to their quarterback room no matter what. Perhaps they’ll target a quarterback in the draft. ESPN insider Adam Schefter thinks Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders is the only quarterback the Steelers would consider drafting in the first round, though.
“I was of the mind that Pittsburgh was not taking a quarterback in Round 1,” Schefter said Wednesday on his podcast. “I think the only quarterback that they would consider, me reading between the lines, would be Shedeur. But I can’t imagine he’s gonna slide to 21. Would Pittsburgh be willing to trade up at a certain point to go get Shedeur Sanders, if he gets past those other spots?”
That is certainly interesting conjecture from Schefter. There’s been much speculation about whether or not the Steelers will target a quarterback in the first round of the draft. Jaxson Dart is usually the name associated with them. Rumors have been floating about Jalen Milroe being a possibility as well.
However, Schefter makes it clear he believes Sanders is the only signal caller the Steelers would consider taking in the first round. That makes some sense. This looks to be a weak quarterback class. However, Sanders is generally viewed as the second-best quarterback prospect. The Steelers might feel inclined to take a chance on him if he falls. He has some serious talent.
That looks to be the biggest hang-up in this situation, though. Schefter isn’t even sure if Sanders will make it to the Steelers’ pick at 21. However, he does seem to believe it’s not impossible.
“If the Browns don’t take Shedeur Sanders at two,” he said, “and if the Giants don’t take Shedeur Sanders at three, and that is the feel that I’m getting recently, where is Shedeur Sanders going?
“I think the two spots that you look at today, three weeks out, and this is a fluid process, and it changes, but today, I’m looking at the New Orleans Saints at number nine and the Pittsburgh Steelers at number 21, who never, ever would’ve thought that Shedeur would ever slide to them. And he probably still won’t, but there was a time where we said Aaron Rodgers wouldn’t slide to 23, he was gonna go number one, and he wound up sliding on draft day, all the way to number 23.”
Indeed, the Saints are the only other obvious quarterback-needy team in front of the Steelers if Sanders falls out of the top three. If they choose to pass on him, he could tumble.
The Steelers could also choose to trade up for Sanders. They’re lacking on draft capital after trading their second-round pick for DK Metcalf, but maybe they wouldn’t have to move up very far. The Steelers might really like Sanders. They could feel like he’s their next franchise quarterback.
It would be interesting to see how that pans out if they sign Rodgers. That would likely mean Sanders would sit on the bench for his whole rookie year. It would be very similar to when the Green Bay Packers drafted Rodgers. He suffered a brutal draft day fall. With the Packers, he spent multiple years sitting behind Brett Favre. He benefitted from that, though, so perhaps Sanders could too.
If the Steelers don’t sign Rodgers, they could be even more inclined to draft Sanders. He has issues, but he could probably help them win games in his rookie year. Sanders might be a better option than many of the available free agents. Perhaps Rudolph would start, and Sanders would take the reins if he stumbled. That’s similar to how the Steelers handled having Kenny Pickett and Mitch Trubisky.
The draft is still a few weeks away, so things can change. Maybe the Browns or Giants will draft Sanders. It’s tough to say anything for sure yet. However, Schefter thinks it’s possible, so perhaps it’s something the Steelers could do.
