With the NFL draft almost here, it’s still unclear what direction the Pittsburgh Steelers will go in the first round. Quarterback is obviously their biggest need, but they’re still waiting on Aaron Rodgers. Regardless of what Rodgers does, the Steelers could still spend their first-round pick on a quarterback. NFL Network draft expert Daniel Jeremiah said many NFL general managers believe the Steelers will target a signal caller with their first pick.
“The GMs that you talk to during this time of year that are super bummed are the GMs that are picking after the Pittsburgh Steelers at the bottom of Round 1,” Jeremiah said Tuesday on The Ryen Russillo Podcast. “Because the conversation is like, ‘Gosh, I’d love to get the heck out of here,’ but the teams that are coming back up for a quarterback have identified Pittsburgh as a potential landing spot for quarterbacks.
“So, if I’m picking behind Pittsburgh, I’m screwed. Because if they want to trade back up for a quarterback, they gotta get to 20, and that’s Denver.”
At this point, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Steelers took a quarterback in Round 1. They’ve met with most of the top prospects at the position. The Steelers usually don’t try to hide what they’re going to do in the draft. Based on Jeremiah’s intel, it sounds like other general managers are taking the Steelers’ interest in quarterbacks very seriously.
While they are in desperate need of a franchise quarterback, that position isn’t a strength of this draft class. The players who could be available for the Steelers’ pick at No. 21 all have a lot of flaws.
The Steelers used four of their top 30 pre-draft visits on quarterbacks. That list usually gives a good idea of who they could draft in the first round and includes Tyler Shough, Jaxson Dart, Shedeur Sanders, and Kyle McCord. Of those players, Sanders looks like the safest bet to go on Day 1. However, even he might not ever become a franchise quarterback.
Shough has received a lot of praise from some analysts, but his age and injury history might push him out of the first round. Dart has a ton of potential, but he needs a lot of polish if he wants to become a franchise QB. McCord is more likely to go on Day 3 than he is to go on Day 1.
If the Steelers are targeting a quarterback in Round 1, Sanders or Dart feel like the most likely candidates. Reports have strongly connected Sanders to Pittsburgh. However, he’d have to fall to them first. He could be the player general managers want to move up for, and a team could jump the Steelers for Sanders if he falls. Whatever happens, it sounds quarterback is a priority for the Steelers in this draft.
