Coming into the draft, many thought the Steelers would consider a quarterback like Shedeur Sanders or Jaxson Dart at the 21st overall pick. Instead of taking that route, the Steelers waited almost as long as possible to find their man, who ended up being Will Howard in the sixth round. Taking a quarterback that late is a low-risk, high-reward scenario, which many teams take towards the last couple of rounds of the draft.
CBS Sports’ Aditi Kinkhabwala spoke on 93.7 The Fan on Wednesday. She appreciated the way the Steelers went about drafting a quarterback.
“They took a shot on a developmental quarterback in Will Howard,” Kinkabwala told Andrew Fillipponi and Chris Mueller. “And if he turns into a number two, great. The kid’s a good athlete, he’s got good leadership traits… Every year, you take a chance on a guy who’s a developmental guy. Okay, so they did it right.”
This draft was never going to be the easiest for the Steelers to find their next franchise quarterback. Even though some players at the position were mocked to them at No. 21, there are some less-than-impressive reasons for that. For one, if the second-best quarterback is coming off the board at the end of the first round, that’s a clear sign that the class doesn’t have too much talent at the position. Another reason so many thought Pittsburgh would go the QB route is because of their seemingly never-ending wait on Aaron Rodgers.
Well, if the draft told us anything, it’s that the Steelers are not as desperate as many had thought. Their lack of action at quarterback shows their confidence that Rodgers will eventually sign.
If he doesn’t, the Steelers have some viable options at the position anyway. Ever-familiar Mason Rudolph is in the room. Some even think Howard should start over Rudolph if Rodgers doesn’t sign. Many have been critical of how the Steelers handled the position this offseason. Yet, looking around the league, things could be much worse.
Take the Browns, for example. By trading out of the second overall pick, they made it clear they’ll hope to land their franchise quarterback in 2026. However, they also took Dillon Gabriel in the third round, which feels like a reach. Then they doubled back on the position in the fifth round, taking Sanders. If you plan to take a QB in 2026, why spend two mid-round selections on the same position the prior year?
The Steelers started this offseason with some fireworks, trading for and extending DK Metcalf. Since then, they’ve reverted back to the Steelers of old, looking for singles instead of home runs. However, there is at least a plan for the position. Pittsburgh seems to know Rodgers will sign. In the meantime, they have Will Howard in the fold.
Whether Howard will ever develop into a starting-caliber quarterback remains to be seen. If Rodgers does put pen to paper, Howard probably won’t even play in 2025. Still, the Steelers at least will have some sort of read on their young quarterback, which will help them as they prepare to make a much bigger decision on the position next offseason.
