The Pittsburgh Steelers could go in a lot of directions when it comes to the 2025 NFL Draft. If you ask 10 people what the best-case scenario is, you’ll probably get 10 different answers. A big part of that hinges on what direction the Steelers go at quarterback. Do they sign QB Aaron Rodgers prior to the draft, or are they sure they will sign him afterward?
The Steelers certainly have needs, both urgent and long-term. Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio thinks that the Steelers’ best-case scenario for the upcoming draft doesn’t involve picking anyone at No. 21. But that’s contingent on the Steelers being assured of Rodgers joining the team.
“If they know Rodgers is coming, trade out of 21 and get more of those 100 guys that are in the 30 spots from 35 to 65 and get more guys that you think can help you right away…” Florio said on Monday’s episode of Pro Football Talk. “If you can get more picks in that sweet spot, where there’s a lot of guys that could maybe be difference-makers for the Steelers, I think that would be even better for them than just taking the best guy on the board at 21.”
There are a lot of things at play here. Have the Steelers fallen in love with a player that they think they can only get in the first round? To them, that’s the best-case scenario, and they won’t trade back.
But Florio isn’t the first one to suggest the Steelers should trade out of 21. On Monday, Adam Schefter reported that the Steelers are looking to acquire more picks by trading down. The prospect of picking up more picks in a good spot in the draft, especially when they don’t have a second-round pick courtesy of the DK Metcalf trade, is an enticing one. The more swings you have in the draft, the greater the chance that you connect on a difference-maker.
Trading down might also make drafting a quarterback a more likely proposition. There have been plenty of rumors and speculation that the Steelers are considering drafting a quarterback at 21. And if they love the quarterback, they owe it to themselves to do that. But if they have the opportunity to trade down and take a guy like Alabama QB Jalen Milroe, that could be more appealing. If you take a quarterback at 21, then you’re waiting until the third round before picking again. That’s a long wait with a player who might not be an impact player in 2025.
And that’s part of Chris Simms’ worst-case scenario. If the Steelers aren’t going to get Aaron Rodgers, and suddenly both Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders and Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart are off the board, what do the Steelers do?
“Now you’re stuck in no-man’s land with maybe guys you didn’t want…” Simms said. “The worst-case scenario would be we want a quarterback, and the top two guys we wanted ended up going before we pick. And now we’re shit out of luck here with nobody else that we really want.”
The first round of the 2025 NFL Draft will certainly be interesting. Will the Steelers stay put and select a quarterback or a defensive lineman? Will they trade back for more picks? Steelers fans will be glued to their televisions or phones, that’s for sure.
