The Pittsburgh Steelers did not attend the University of Colorado's Pro Day in 2025, which made many believe the team has no plans to try and draft Shedeur Sanders. The lack of interest could have come from the Steelers not believing Sanders would be available by the time they were on the clock, or they did not find him valuable enough to trade up into the top 10 for. However, the team recently brought Sanders in for a Top 30 visit, which has sparked the conversation of whether the Steelers will potentially trade up for Sanders; or if he will slide to them at 21.
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Former University of Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders looks on during a collegiate game.
Sanders has been touted as a top 10 pick for most of his collegiate career until recently. Some believe the presence of his father, Deion Sanders, could be playing a role in teams losing interest.
Deion Sanders has made a lot of remarks during this draft process regarding his son, such as that there are organizations he will not allow Shedeur to play for and he would only be interested in an NFL head coaching job if he was able to coach his sons. So, the idea of Shedeur Sanders sliding in the draft may not be due to his performance on the field, but rather, the distractions Deion Sanders may create off the field.
If Shedeur Sanders finds himself waiting to hear his name called in the later part of the first round he wouldn't be the first highly rated prospect to fall in the draft. Potential teammate Aaron Rodgers also found himself sliding in the 2005 NFL Draft when the San Francisco 49ers decided to select Alex Smith over him.
Since the turn of the century, the Steelers have only drafted two quarterbacks in the first round: Ben Roethlisberger and Kenny Pickett. If the Steelers decide to draft a quarterback in round one, it will be only the third since 2000. ESPN Analyst Kevin Clark appeared on Get Up and advised why the Steelers should take Shedeur Sanders.
"Way better of a prospect than Kenny Pickett a couple of years ago," Clark said in regards to Pickett versus Shedeur Sanders. "People were talking about you know a guy slipping maybe making those comparisons; no, he's much better. Arthur Smith's play action, he'll hang in there, he's tough, he's physical. I'm in on this match."
As draft prospects, Pickett and Shedeur Sanders both possessed the same weakness coming out of college. Both players have a reputation of taking unnecessary sacks instead of taking the incompletion. Situational football is a big part of the game, so teams need a quarterback who understands that an incompletion is better than holding on to the ball and taking a sack.
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Former Colorado Buffs quarterback Shedeur Sanders sacked seven times in loss to UCLA in 2023.
During Shedeur Sanders two seasons at Colorado, he finished with -127 rushing yards on 211 rushing attempts. This means that the 94 sacks Shedeur Sanders took while at Colorado accumulated for more negative yards than his 211 rushing attempts did for positive yards.
In Pickett's five seasons at the University of Pittsburgh, he took a total of 114 sacks, which isn't nearly as concerning as Sheduer Sanders 94 in two seasons. The reason for Pickett not taking as many sacks as Shedeur Sanders over the course of there collegiate careers is due to Pickett's ability to escape pressure in the pocket. Shedeur Sanders also has the ability of getting out of the pocket and extending a play, but he also has a tendancy of sitting in the pocket too long.
Pickett's mobility was not necessarily viewed as a positive all the time. One of his weakness deemed by NFL scouts was that Pickett had "nervous feet" despite having a clean pocket. Pickett was more likely to take off scrambling rather than working through his progressions.
That is the, however, the opposite for Shedeur Sanders. He is comfortable in the pocket and will stand in there to deliver a strike downfield rather than scramble. Pickett and Shedeur Sanders have different playing styles, strengths and weakness. Only time will tell if Shedeur Sanders' strengths can outweigh his weaknesses on the big stage.
Shedeur Sanders Would Likely Thrive In Arthur Smith's Offense
While at Colorado, Shedeur Sanders never really had a legitimate rushing attack. If Shedeur Sanders is drafted by the Steelers and starts from day one, he will not be asked to do much because Offensive Coordinator Arthur Smith plays a run-first style of offense. This would be an idea situation for a rookie quarterback, so that the team is not reliant on the success of a first year quarterback.
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Steelers' Arthur Smith looks on during a game with Pittsburgh.
Shedeur Sanders being able to have a solid running game, would allow for the play action to open up. In college Shedeur Sanders threw a lot of screens, crossing routes, and check downs.
He could also took shots down field because he had the best wide receiver in all of college football in Travis Hunter, but if he had a solid rushing attack it may have been significantly more. So, if Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell can average around four to five yards per carry it could open up play action on second and third downs for big plays to DK Metcalf and George Pickens.
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