The speculation around Shedeur Sanders and the Pittsburgh Steelers couldn’t be any hotter right now. The majority of national mock drafts have linked the two and it doesn’t take Bill Parcells to understand why. Pittsburgh needs a quarterback and Sanders could be on the board at No. 21. Mike Tomlin’s recent comments praising Sanders also drew headlines. But CBS Sports’ insider Jonathan Jones thinks the rumor mill are reporters simply putting two-and-two together.

“I don’t think that it’s fueled by any inside information that Shadeur Sanders is going to the Pittsburgh Steelers at 21,” Jones said on an appearance on the With The First pick Thursday. “It’s being fueled by logic. It’s being fueled by Mike Tomlin talking and praising and complimenting Shedeur Sanders as a player in a pre-draft press conference like he has never done with anyone else in two decades.”

Jones is correct in noting Tomlin offered more insight into Sanders than any prospect before. Normally tight-lipped and unwilling to discuss free agents and potential draft selections, Tomlin discussed Sanders’ toughness, intangibles, and a “very productive” meeting with him earlier this month. 

Did Tomlin spill the beans? Or was it a smokescreen? Tomlin is surely aware of the criticism Sanders has received throughout the pre-draft process with his stock “falling” from Top-Five into the middle/late first round. Tomlin could’ve taken the chance to push back against narratives that haven’t been favorable to Sanders and ensuring someone was in his corner.

Even if Sanders isn’t the pick, what happens in the future is anyone’s guess. And Tomlin’s kind words could prove valuable if Sanders becomes an acquisition option four or five years from now just in the way Tomlin’s interactions with WR DK Metcalf since he came out of the draft proved useful in trading for him this offseason.

The local media, us included, have largely focused on Pittsburgh addressing defensive line. The national media has their sights set on quarterback. But the reality is no one will happen at quarterback after the Tennessee Titans make Cam Ward the No. 1 pick tonight.