The possibility of Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders falling to the Pittsburgh Steelers at the No. 21 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft continues to look more likely as we get closer to the draft on Thursday. While the Steelers have long been thought to be targeting a defensive lineman in the first round, ESPN’s Brooke Pryor believes that if Sanders is on the board for the Steelers, he’s going to be the team’s first-round selection.
“If the Saints pass on Shedeur Sanders, I think the Steelers address quarterback in Round 1, and it’s going to be Shedeur Sanders. If Shedeur Sanders is not on the board, then maybe defensive line. To me, that’s the second option,” Pryor said on The Fan Morning Show on 93.7 The Fan.
Pryor believes that Mike Tomlin is a fan of Sanders’ “football pedigree” and he could give the Steelers someone to rally behind on offense and give that unit an identity.
Pittsburgh hosted Sanders for a pre-draft visit. Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that it went well. While the Steelers continue to wait on an answer from QB Aaron Rodgers, they still don’t have a long-term answer at quarterback. Sanders could represent a solution, even if he doesn’t see the field much or at all as a rookie.
It didn’t seem likely that Sanders would make it to Pittsburgh even a month ago, and Pryor admitted that it didn’t seem like a first-round quarterback was likely at all until recently. But with the smoke that Sanders could fall, the Steelers changed their approach and started to consider him as a legitimate possibility. Now, it looks like he’s firmly in the mix to be the team’s selection on Thursday.
The Saints at No. 9 pose a threat as a team to draft Sanders, with Derek Carr potentially out for the year. The Giants at No. 3 taking Sanders or moving back into the first round ahead of Pittsburgh to select him can’t be completely ruled out. If Sanders does fall, then Pittsburgh will have the opportunity to select a player that many thought would be one of the top three picks in the draft and someone who could be a franchise quarterback, which is hard to find where the Steelers usually draft.
It’s a deep defensive line class, and that could tempt the Steelers into waiting to select one if they feel they’ll be able to nab a potential franchise quarterback. Given the homework they’ve done on Shedeur Sanders, it wouldn’t be a surprise at all if he’s donning the Black and Gold by the end of the week.
