The Pittsburgh Steelers surprised many people when they didn’t take a quarterback in the first round of the draft. They had their pick of the litter, too, outside of Cam Ward. Shedeur Sanders, Jaxson Dart, and Tyler Shough were all on the board at 21. The Steelers brought all of those players in for top-30 visits. Despite interest being there, Pittsburgh selected defensive lineman Derrick Harmon. Former NFL quarterback Matt Leinart likes that pick, but he’s still confused why they didn’t take a quarterback.

“It’s a really good pick, but at 21, Shedeur was there, Jaxson Dart was there,” Leinart said Friday on his Throwbacks Show podcast. “I just don’t know what they’re doing. Adventurous pick.

“They went a solid pick on the d-line to continue to shore up a Pittsburgh Steelers defense, which is what they’re always known for, but they don’t have a quarterback. I don’t know what they’re doing, and they don’t have a pick until the third round.”

Leinart likely isn’t the only one wondering why the Steelers passed on taking a signal caller Thursday night. It looks like their biggest need with Mason Rudolph currently slated to be their starter. Rudolph is a fine backup, but as a starter for an entire season, he leaves much to be desired.

However, the 2025 quarterback class doesn’t look very strong. Every other team passed on Sanders in the first round too, so it seems like the league doesn’t view him very highly. The New York Giants traded up for Dart, but he feels more like a project than an immediate starter. Meanwhile, Shough has serious injury concerns.

Reports indicated that the Steelers like Sanders, but clearly, they didn’t value him more than they did Harmon. The truth is that any quarterback they could’ve taken likely would’ve been a reach. The last time the Steelers did that, they ended up with Kenny Pickett.

The Steelers could still draft a quarterback. In fact, that seems likely with six rounds left in the draft. It felt unlikely that any rookie was going to beat out Rudolph for the Week 1 job. Sanders might have had a chance, but defensive line was also a huge need for Pittsburgh. Like Leinart says, Harmon is a good player. The Steelers are a better team after Round 1 than they were before it.

Who knows, maybe Sanders will fall to their pick in the third round. That would provide a little more clarity on their future under center. It’s probably just a little early to really criticize them, though. If they leave the draft without selecting a quarterback at all, maybe this conversation should be revisited. Until then, the Steelers could have a plan in place. Fans should find out soon, hopefully.