In his final mock draft, lead NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah has the Pittsburgh Steelers selecting Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders with the 21st overall pick. Jeremiah’s final predictions were unveiled Wednesday night with Sanders landing in Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh has quickly become the most popular place to mock Sanders, whose draft stock is still arguably more unpredictable than any other top prospect in the 2025 class. Jeremiah has stuck with quarterbacks throughout his Steelers’ mock drafts, slotting Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart to the team in a March edition. Here, it’s Sanders who slips.
Jeremiah detailed his rationale during his one-hour mock draft special, pointing out if the Steelers don’t take him at No. 21, he could fall out of the first-round entirely.
Without predicting trades, it’s hard to identify a team between No. 10 and No. 21 that could select Sanders. The true Wild Card could be if a team moves up for Sanders in the teens to jump Pittsburgh. With just six picks, the Steelers aren’t a likely candidate to trade up.
A polarizing prospect, Sanders has plus accuracy and toughness and turned around a Colorado program in just two years. Mike Tomlin praised Sanders during his Tuesday meeting with the media, a rare moment of Tomlin openly analyzing a draft prospect. Whether or not that’s a smokescreen is anyone’s guess.
Most national media mock drafts have Pittsburgh selecting Sanders. ESPN’s Matt Miller, Sportskeeda’s Tony Pauline, NFL Network’s Bucky Brooks, ESPN’s Peter Schrager, and the Washington Post’s Jason La Canfora all have made the same connection. This contrasts with the majority of the local media, ourselves included, who have more often connected Pittsburgh to one of the drop defensive linemen in the class, Oregon’s Derrick Harmon and Michigan’s Kenneth Grant. Time will tell who is correct.
In his final 2024 mock draft, Jeremiah had the right position but the wrong prospect, mocking Oklahoma OT Tyler Guyton. Instead, the Steelers landed Washington OT Troy Fautanu.
The 2025 NFL Draft kicks off Thursday at 8 PM/EST in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
