Amidst their everlasting wait for Aaron Rodgers, the Pittsburgh Steelers have been proactive regarding the 2025 QB draft class. With the 21st selection in the first round and no second-round pick, they might find it tough to land the one they want. That hasn’t stopped them doing their due diligence, meeting with virtually every top QB available. One of those was Shedeur Sanders and ESPN’s Peter Schrager offered details of Sanders’ recent Steelers pre-draft visit.
“He had a really good meeting with Pittsburgh last week and that lasted like five hours,” Schrager said Tuesday on The Pat McAfee Show. “And he met with Arthur Smith, he met with Mike Tomlin, he went around the facility.”
These are things the Steelers would do with any quarterback they realistically see a chance of bringing in. When Aaron Rodgers visited the facility what feels like many moons ago, he reportedly had a similar experience.
It’s notable, though, in light of some of the criticism Sanders has received. He’s got a ton of talent and a lot of confidence, but the latter turns some people off. He’s also coming from a program coached by his father, and he played behind a bad offensive line. All of that considered, playing for Mike Tomlin, who leads one of the most stable franchises in the NFL, and with some of the playmakers on offense, it could be a good fit for all parties.
Some of those aforementioned concerns lead people to wonder about a potential draft-day slide for Sanders. Coming into the offseason, he was widely regarded as a top-five pick. Now, things have changed. That the Steelers even invited him to their facility means there’s a good chance they think he’ll be available at the 21st pick.
If he does slide that far, Schrager sees the Steelers as an obvious fit.
“So that, to me, seems like a good backstop,” Schrager said. “Like, worst comes to worst for Shedeur, 21 would be a really nice place for him to go.”
If Sanders does start to slide on draft day, it’s not going to be easy for Pittsburgh. If he gets past the Saints, with the ninth overall pick, the Steelers look like the next best spot. However, from nine to 21 is a long way to go. There’s plenty of opportunity there for teams to trade up ahead of Pittsburgh and steal Sanders. A team might even trade up ahead of the Saints. That’s going to be a decision the Steelers will have to wrestle with if Sanders starts to creep toward them.
If Sanders is the choice, though, there are plenty of reasons for the Steelers to be excited. Whether they sign Rodgers or not, landing Sanders would finally give some hope toward long-term consistency at the most important position on the field.
