It remains unclear if the Aaron Rodgers’ marriage with the Pittsburgh Steelers is for just the 2025 season or beyond.
But one thing is clear right now: the Steelers have several draft picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, and with a deep, talented quarterback class, they’ll have a chance to land a big-time piece at the most important position in sports.
Names like South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers, Penn State’s Drew Allar, Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza, Clemson’s Cade Klubnik, LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier, and more are generating quite a bit of buzz at the position right now. But that’s all subject to change.
Each of those quarterbacks has been linked to the Steelers in some way so far. However, in the latest mock draft from Mike Renner for CBS Sports, the Steelers were paired with a new name for the position, one that many could become very familiar with this season.
That would be Oklahoma transfer quarterback John Mateer.
In Renner’s mock, the Steelers landed Mateer at No. 13 overall.
“John Mateer has arguably the best arm talent in the entire draft class and goes to a division in the AFC North where that’s a necessity,” Renner writes regarding the selection of Mateer for the Steelers. “He showed growth in his first season as a starter and now has a chance to blow up in his first season with the Sooners after transferring from Washington State.”
Mateer put himself on the big stage last season after transferring to Washington State, putting up video game-like numbers in his lone season with the Cougars. Mateer completed nearly 65% of his passes for 3,139 yards and 29 touchdowns to just seven interceptions. Most impressively, he rushed for 826 yards and 15 touchdowns in 12 games, serving as a very productive dual threat at the collegiate level.
The standout quarterback sat behind future No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward for two seasons at Washington State before getting his chance last season. Then, he blew up in a big way.
That productive season led to him being one of the most sought-after quarterbacks on the transfer market. He followed his offensive coordinator from Washington State to Oklahoma, where he looks to become an answer at the position for the Sooners under head coach Brent Venables.
In his summer scouting piece on Mateer for Steelers Depot, Jonathan Heitritter had this to say about the quarterback, who is listed at 6-foot-1, 224 pounds.
“He has the dual-threat skill set to beat opposing defenses on the ground and through the air. However, he needs to prove he can do it against heightened competition in the SEC as well as clean up some of his sloppy tendencies to prove he is worthy of being one of the top quarterback prospects in this draft class.
“There are aspects of Mateer’s game that are very similar to Mahomes, Baker Mayfield, and Kyler Murray coming out of college. But he also shares some of the same tendencies as Johnny Manziel, making him a polarizing prospect to watch throughout the 2025 college football season.”
The aspects of his game that are similar to some of the big-name quarterbacks in today’s game, being that of a gunslinger who can also make plays with their legs, are what many teams are searching for at the position. Having a big, strong arm is key, too, and that would undoubtedly help Mateer in the AFC North.
But the 2025 season at Oklahoma will be a huge one for him and his future NFL Draft prospects. Coming into the season, longtime NFL Draft analyst Todd McShay has Mateer as a Day 2 prospect, but with a strong season, he could elevate himself into a first-round quarterback.
He’s a name that should be on the radar at the position for NFL teams.
