Behind the Steel Curtain
The Steelers appear to be keeping all of their options open for the first night of the draft. This week R&R answers: if it has to be a QB, which one are you most comfortable with?
The 2025 NFL Draft is inching closer, and suddenly, Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders is on Pittsburgh’s radar. Could the once-projected top-10 pick really fall to No. 21, or is that discussion another victim of tired draft talking points?
In this week’s Read & React, Ryan and Ryland take a look at the Steelers’ best options at quarterback if the team does indeed select that position in the first round. Plus, a look at Keeanu Benton’s 2024:
RP: While I don’t think either Ryland or I would prefer to use pick 21 on this particular crop of quarterbacks, the Steelers have been doing their homework on quarterbacks. That included bringing in Dart and Sanders for pre-draft visits and taking Jalen Milroe and a few of his Alabama teammates out to dinner around the time of Alabama’s pro day.
Maybe this is all an elaborate smoke screen to obscure who they really want, or perhaps it’s an act meant to entice other teams to trade up. Pittsburgh would benefit from a trade back and several of the prospects they’ve brought in are projected as fringe first round prospects, meaning they could be available early on Day 2 if a team like the Giants decides it wants to trade back into the first.
But, it could also be genuine smoke. We all know the Steelers are desperately in need of their next franchise guy. While fans may view drafting Kenny Pickett in 2022 as a cautionary tale, would any of us be surprised if the team took a different lesson from that experience?
If pushed to pick one of these three quarterbacks, my decision would come down to how the Aaron Rodgers situation plays out. While I don’t think Rodgers signing should prevent the Steelers from drafting a quarterback if they truly believe in them — having Rodgers around changes who I would take.
I’ll start by eliminating Jaxson Dart from the equation. I’m out. I could be swayed into Dart if the cost was lower, but at 21 I just can’t do it. A first round quarterback needs to be a high level processor or a freak athlete, and Dart is neither.
Mississippi’s offense doesn’t ask much of the quarterback compared to others. In Lane Kiffin’s offense, the quarterback is responsible for making a pre-snap read to determine who has the best matchup. If that look changes after the snap or fails to get open, Dart was given the green light to take off or improvise. It just isn’t an offense that translates well to the next level and we’ve seen it crash and burn before. Right or wrong,...
