The Pittsburgh Steelers have a hole at quarterback, with free agent Aaron Rodgers dragging his feet on making a decision. With the 2025 NFL Draft just over a week away, the Steelers are expected to be in the quarterback market, and former New York Giants executive and current NFL Media analyst Marc Ross thinks the team should take a big swing. In an article for NFL.com, Ross advocated for the Steelers to move into the top ten to select a quarterback.
“The quarterback-needy Pittsburgh Steelers hold the 21st overall pick in the draft. The problem? A handful of teams picking in the top 10 also have a need at the game’s most important position, for 2025 and/or beyond,” he wrote. “Aaron Rodgers might remain in play for Pittsburgh, but at the moment, Mason Rudolph sits atop the depth chart at QB. Desperate times call for desperate measures. The Steelers should soar up the board — they might have to climb all the way up to No. 8, ahead of the New Orleans Saints — to nab either Shedeur Sanders or Jaxson Dart.”
The Steelers have hosted both Sanders and Dart for pre-draft visits, so there’s some level of interest there. The odds of either of them falling to Pittsburgh’s selection at No. 21 seem to be falling by the day, however, so if the Steelers really like one of them, they would likely have to move up in the draft.
In a weak quarterback class, giving up assets to move up to take a quarterback with question marks might not be the best strategy. In the Steelers’ case, they would be doing so to have a plan for their quarterback of the future, and if they do wind up signing Rodgers, then whatever quarterback they select will be waiting in the wings. If Dart or Sanders falls to No. 21, they could very well be under consideration, but moving up to select one of them feels like a move that Pittsburgh isn’t going to make.
It seems much more likely that the Steelers wait and take a flier on a quarterback in the third or fourth round than make a big jump in the first round, almost assuredly giving away their 2026 first-round pick, to move up and select Dart or Sanders. It’s not completely out of the question given that the Steelers have done pre-draft work and shown a demonstrated interest in quarterbacks, but it would be a major surprise if they make an aggressive move to select a quarterback early in the draft.
