Steelers Now
Even if Aaron Rodgers joins the Pittsburgh Steelers for the upcoming season, there’s no guarantee that their quarterback situation will be any more solidified next offseason than it has been this one. With what promises to be a loaded crop of passers in the 2026 NFL Draft, Mike Tomlin’s team may find its answer as its city hosts the annual event.
In a CBS Sports way-too-early mock draft scenario drawn up by Josh Edwards on Monday, the Steelers picked up UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava. The former five-star recruit was the subject of plenty of headlines last month, transferring to Westwood after an NIL disagreement at Tennessee.
“As of writing this, Pittsburgh has not signed Aaron Rodgers,” Edwards wrote. “The quarterback room is Mason Rudolph, Skylar Thompson and Will Howard right now. A year ago, Iamaleava was almost a foregone conclusion to be a part of way-too-early mock drafts. The 2025 season did not go as anyone expected and Iamaleava has since transferred back to the West Coast.
“As with all of these quarterback prospects, Iamaleava has not played at a No. 16 overall level, but the pieces are there if he can put it all together.”
Iamaleava passed for 2,616 yards, 19 touchdowns, and five interceptions with the Volunteers last season.
Nico Iamaleava was the fifth signal-caller taken off the board. Before him went Texas’ Arch Manning (No. 1 overall, New Orleans Saints), Penn State’s Drew Allar (No. 2, Cleveland Browns), South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers (No. 6, Las Vegas Raiders), and LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier (No. 12, Los Angeles Rams).
According to 247Sports’ composite rankings, Iamaleava was the No. 2 quarterback in the 2023 class, behind only Manning. Dante Moore (No. 3), Jackson Arnold (No. 4), Malachi Nelson (No. 5), and Jaden Rashada (No. 6) were also part of that group.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Steelers Take Polarizing QB in Way-Too-Early 2026 NFL Draft Mock
