It was reported earlier this week that Colorado QB Sheduer Sanders was coming to Pittsburgh for a pre-draft visit this week, and now it’s official. Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that Sanders is in Pittsburgh today meeting with the Steelers. Pitt S Donovan McMillon is also having a visit with the Steelers.
Since McMillon is a local product, he does not count as one of Pittsburgh’s 30 allotted pre-draft visits
Widely regarded as the second-best quarterback in the 2025 NFL Draft behind Miami (FL)’s Cam Ward, Sanders has largely been projected throughout the pre-draft process to be gone before Pittsburgh’s first-round pick. However, there’s recently been some smoke about him falling, and with the Steelers having a clear need at quarterback, they’re doing their due diligence on Sanders.
The team got a chance to see him in person in 2024, sending senior scouting assistant Kelvin Fisher to Colorado’s 28-9 win over Colorado State last September. In that game, Sanders was 36-of-49 for 310 yards and four touchdowns, putting together one of his best performances of the season.
The Steelers still remain in pursuit of free agent QB Aaron Rodgers, but even if they sign Rodgers, Shedeur Sanders could fit as a developmental quarterback who could serve as the team’s hopeful quarterback of the future. Last season at Colorado, he finished eighth in Heisman voting after throwing for 4,137 yards with 37 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
It’s notable that Shedeur Sanders is coming in for a pre-draft visit. The Steelers also had Fisher at Colorado’s showcase last week, and the team saw him in person at the Shrine Bowl (though he didn’t participate), so this is a good chance for them to really get to know Sanders as a person and see if he’s a fit for their first-round pick.
While the Steelers also have a big need along their defensive line, if Sanders falls to No. 21, the value might be too good for Pittsburgh to pass up given its need at quarterback.
It’s a move that didn’t seem likely or plausible just a few weeks ago, but if Sanders does fall past the top three, the remaining QB-needy teams in the first round get slim, with the New Orleans Saints or Steelers looking like the most viable options. Pittsburgh has already hosted QB Jaxson Dart and QB Tyler Shough on pre-draft visits, and bringing in Sanders is a sign that the team very well may have an interest in selecting him in the first round.
McMillon is a transfer from Florida who spent his last two seasons at Pitt. After a strong showing at the Hula Bowl, he got a call up to the East-West Shrine Bowl, participating in the game and the final two days of practice. He tested well at Pitt Pro Day with a 4.44 40-yard dash, a 35-inch vertical, a 10’5″ broad jump and a 6.97 3-cone.
Those testing numbers were good for a 9.20 RAS score, one of the best by a safety since 1987.
He also met with the Steelers at the Hula Bowl, and in 2024 made second-team All-ACC after racking up 115 total tackles and an interception. In four years, McMillon totaled 250 total tackles and nine passes defensed, with two seasons at Florida and two at Pitt.
