The Steelers have faced a lot of criticism for how they handled the quarterback position during the 2025 NFL Draft. They shouldn’t, because they handled it correctly. At least, they handled their own process correctly; whether they come out looking smart, we won’t know for years. The issue, though, will be in talent evaluation, and not decision-making.
Put simply, the Steelers made the right move by passing on top quarterbacks because they clearly didn’t believe in them to the degree necessary to properly cultivate a young quarterback. Let me say that again: if the Steelers trusted that Jaxson Dart had franchise-quarterback ability, he would be a Steeler. If they thought that about Shedeur Sanders or Tyler Shough, they would be here. None of them are, so we can reasonably assume that they just didn’t see it.
This is in spite of the fact that the Steelers reportedly did have more than one first-round-graded quarterback. But it’s dangerous to assume that giving a quarterback a first-round grade means franchise potential. It simply means they are worthy of a first-round pick, and that ties into positional value. The Steelers had DL Derrick Harmon higher on their board than Dart because Dart isn’t the next Joe Montana, not because Harmon is the next Joe Greene.
So why should anybody object to the Steelers not grabbing a quarterback that they didn’t believe in? And why should others express urgency on their behalf if they feel comfortable waiting for 2026? They obviously think they will sign Aaron Rodgers, so no rookie was going to help this year anyway.
Of course, all these national sports shows have to create content (and so do we, let’s not kid ourselves). And the more sensational the coverage is, the more likely it is to gain traction. Again, let’s not kid ourselves about what we do, either. The more a talking head makes a fool of himself about the Steelers’ quarterback situation, the more likely we are to write about it.
These are still paid professionals putting their names to these opinions, though. Whether they believe what they say or not, we can hold them accountable for their claims. And criticizing a team for not drafting a quarterback it doesn’t believe in is like yelling at a driver for not making a turn he’s uncomfortable making. The worst thing you can do while driving is do something you don’t feel comfortable doing. And the worst way to draft a franchise quarterback is to draft one you don’t think can be one.
Sure, you can argue that a player’s natural talent will eventually shine through. After all, Tom Brady happened, and Brock Purdy is on that borderline of franchise-dom. If Jaxson Dart is a franchise-caliber quarterback and the Steelers drafted him, he would naturally develop into a franchise quarterback anyway, right?
If you believe that, I have another bridge to sell the city of Pittsburgh. One of the favorite things for Steelers fans to do is to complain about the coaching staff wasting talent. Hell, some of them still think Mason Rudolph and/or Kenny Pickett can be franchise guys.
