The consensus is that the 2026 NFL Draft quarterback class will be stronger than 2025. And that could be true. This year’s edition certainly isn’t one of its best. Stack up this year’s class to 2024’s, and there’s no guarantee any of them will go ahead of last year’s bunch. Cam Ward will be the top quarterback this season, but is he better than Bo Nix, the sixth quarterback selected in a historic 2024? For the Pittsburgh Steelers, it’s a strong reason to wait until next year to make the splash move at the position. But 2026 is already proving to throw curveballs, and why waiting alone isn’t always the answer.
After days of uncertainty, the Tennessee Volunteers are officially moving on from starting QB Nico Iamaleava. Or maybe Iamaleava is moving on from Tennessee. An NIL dispute that led Iamaleva, a potential top 2026 quarterback, to skip practice and team meetings has him packing for next week’s transfer portal.
He’ll land at a power program, no doubt. Perhaps this will even help his draft stock, escaping the Volunteers’ high-tempo offense that doesn’t require many reads and is “gimmicky” in NFL eyes. Succeeding in a more conventional offense could be a net positive.
But it’s a reminder that the Steelers predicting what the quarterback landscape looks like one year from now is foolish. Players expected to shine can falter. Players not even on the NFL’s radar can emerge. LSU’s Joe Burrow remains the best example of that in 2020, going from unknown to No. 1 overall pick. Cam Ward is current and similar one. None of these too-early 2025 mock drafts from prominent outlets like Pro Football Focus, The Athletic, and ESPN included Ward in the first round. Instead, Georgia’s Carson Beck was tabbed as 2025’s top prospect. Instead, Beck had a down season, got hurt, and transferred to Miami (FL) to replace Ward. Poetic.
Who will lead 2026? How many first-round-worthy prospects will there be? It’s anyone’s guess. Does Clemson’s Cade Klubnik have another great season? Does Texas’ Arch Manning declare? There’s plenty of speculation that he won’t. Will prospects like Penn State’s Drew Allar or LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier bounce back from uneven 2024 seasons? Nobody knows. Not the Steelers, not the college football world.
That uncertainty shouldn’t compel Pittsburgh to force a 2025 selection. Overreacting in the other direction is just as dangerous. Taking a quarterback now because of an unclear future led to reaches like Kenny Pickett, shoe-horning in a quarterback because there’s a need without evaluating whether the player is the solution or will just prolong the problem.
The point is that Pittsburgh must evaluate each class independently. In 2025, is there a quarterback they believe can be the future of the franchise? If so, aggressively pursue him. If not, wait until 2026 and run the same test where an army of comp picks could help land a passer. It’s not an easy process, but it’s a simple one.
Predicting anything quarterback-related is hard. The landscape is a constantly shifting target. Today’s giant news is another reminder that the Steelers’ answer isn’t simply “wait for 2026.” When the time comes, you never know what’ll be there.
