ClutchPoints
The Pittsburgh Steelers are one of the most interesting teams in the NFL right now. They feel like they are stuck in no man’s land. Pittsburgh has a competent front office and an excellent coaching staff. In fact, Mike Tomlin is riding an incredible streak of consecutive winning seasons after logging 10 wins in 2024.
The Steelers also boast a talented roster with playmakers on both sides of the ball.
Despite all of these positive factors, the Steelers have no realistic hope of winning the Super Bowl anytime soon.
Why? They have an absolutely terrible quarterback situation, and have ever since Ben Roethlisberger retired.
Pittsburgh did okay with Russell Wilson and Justin Fields holding down the fort last season. Unfortunately, both of them left the Steelers during free agency, leaving a huge talent gap at the game’s most important position.
The Steelers did take a late-round flier on a quarterback during the 2025 NFL Draft, but will it be enough to make an impact this fall?
Below we will explore the three biggest mistakes the Steelers made during the 2025 NFL Draft.
The Steelers did not solve their quarterback dilemma during the 2025 NFL Draft.
Pittsburgh has been flirting with veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers ever since the start of the new league year. The connection makes a ton of sense — the Steelers need a starting quarterback for the 2025 season and nobody else seems to want Rodgers.
However, it seemed that Pittsburgh’s patience was wearing down as the days inched closer to the draft. It certainly seemed like the Steeler would select a quarterback in the draft if Rodgers did not give a decision by then.
The Steelers did select a quarterback, Ohio State’s Will Howard, in the sixth round. They passed on QB Shedeur Sanders multiple times, despite being linked with him because of their huge need at the position. Instead, he landed in Cleveland in the fifth round.
In Pittsburgh’s defense, this year’s quarterback class was pretty awful compared to what we’ve seen in recent seasons.
Cam Ward went first overall to the Titans, and there was almost no sure thing behind him.
In that respect, I cannot be too critical on the Steelers for not having a sense of urgency at the quarterback position. They didn’t really have a chance at solving the position during the draft.
That said, I would have liked to see them pick a quarterback earlier in the draft. And someone with more upside than Will Howard.
Personally, I would have loved to see Jalen Milroe go to the Steelers. He is a pedestrian passer but has elite upside as a runner. Milroe could have sat behind Mason Rudolph or any veteran QB the Steelers add before Week 1 and learn the NFL game during his rookie season.
On the bright side — if the 2025 season is a disaster for Pittsburgh, they will be positioned to take a quarterback...
