Shedeur Sanders may be disappointed not to be a top-five draft pick. But a consolation prize to a draft day slide could put him on a more competitive team, Sanders being potential the missing piece to get the Pittsburgh Steelers over the top. Following his Thursday pre-draft visit with the Steelers, Sanders discussed how the meeting went.
“It was a 10. It was a 10,” Sanders told Up and Adams’ Kay Adams Thursday afternoon in the Pittsburgh International Airport.
Pittsburgh has made a full-court press in pursuing nearly all the top quarterbacks in this year’s draft. A similar pursuit to 2022 when they came away with Kenny Pickett in the first round. Sanders is the latest and most notable, widely viewed as a top-five lock for the first half of the draft cycle. In recent weeks, buzz has increased over him falling outside of that group. While a slip all the way to the Steelers’ at No. 21 is unlikely, Pittsburgh is prepared in case. Even with the Steelers’ limited capital, a trade up to get him isn’t out of the question.
Landing in Pittsburgh would avoid the difficulty of anchoring a rebuilding team like most top selections have to endure. Sanders certainly seemed open to the idea of playing for the Steelers.
“I enjoyed my time here in Pittsburgh,” he said. “I think I connected with all the coaches and it was real fun.”
Like most players, he especially enjoyed meeting head coach Mike Tomlin, whose personality and culture-building ability is one Sanders is familiar with.
“I understand the mindset of why they win a lot,” Sanders told Adams.” Just how he is as a person. The values that the team has. And what he preaches from his staff down, it’s similar to my dad.”
Sanders was coached by his father Deion Sanders at Colorado. Deion is a big personality who helped turn the school around, and the Buffaloes won nine games in 2024 for the first time since 2016.
Pittsburgh has consistently remained playoff competitive but struggled to get past Wild Card weekend. Failing to find a long-term answer at quarterback has been a major issue, and the Steelers are searching for stability, set to start five different quarterbacks in five-straight season openers.
It’s harder to believe the Steelers will exit the draft without a quarterback. The question is shifting from “will they?” to “who will they take?” After a good-vibes meeting Thursday, Sanders could be the answer.
