Steelers Caught In Brutal QB Draft Spiral As Unexpected Backup Plan Surfaces

The Pittsburgh Steelers' search for a starting quarterback has only gotten more and more dire. For the longest time, it seemed that Pittsburgh was willing to wait on veteran Aaron Rodgers to make a decision (and maybe they still are). However, Rodgers has kept the Steelers in suspense for weeks, and the team can't be held hostage by the 41-year-old veteran quarterback much longer. The Steelers were always exploring options in the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft, namely Shedeur Sanders, Jaxon Dart, and Jalen Milroe. The top prospect however, Sanders, is rumored to fall in the draft, but there are plenty of other quarterback-needy teams that could draft him before the Steelers are on the clock. Dart and Milroe are promising, but both are projected to be later-round caliber prospects, not players who would lead a team on a deep playoff run in Year 1. If all the Steelers' best options fall through the cracks, the team could be left scrambling for a quarterback. However, one NFL analyst and former player named an under-the-radar pick as a solid choice for the Steelers if all else fails. 

On Wednesday, Louis Riddick appeared on ESPN's Get Up and discussed the Steelers' options at quarterback with ESPN analyst Mike Greenberg. Greenberg laid out a doomsday scenario in which the Steelers miss out on all of the top quarterback talents.

"If the Saints take Shedeur Sanders at number nine, Someone else goes up and gets Jaxon Dart, and Aaron Rodgers tells you, 'You know what? I've been in the dark room, I went on another one of my plant medicine trips, and I've decided I'm retiring,' you're the Steelers, now what?"

Should Rodgers choose to retire rather than sign with the Steelers, it would mean all the team's waiting was for nothing. Losing multiple top quarterback talents to other teams would be salt in the wound. Riddick later responded to Greenberg with what he thought the Steelers' best move would be in such a situation.

"We've already said that there've been GMs and coaches who have said, 'Tyler Shough is the best quarterback in the draft.' Who knows what Arthur Smith thinks of him yet? We don't know what Mike Tomlin thinks of him. He was one of their early guys who they brought in for a top-30 visit. We do know that. That looks like a pretty bad scenario, but I don't think all hope is lost if that happens."

Tyler Shough has been one of the prospects talked about less in the quarterbacks search, but could become a more realistic option depending on how draft day unfolds.

The Steelers did meet with Shough, but it's unclear if the team views him as a starting-caliber prospect. Pittsburgh's quarterback search looked considerably different at the time of Shough's visit, and now the quarterback may be lower on the team's wish list. 

Steelers And Shough Could Be Perfect Fit

Shough has been praised by many analysts; however, the former Louisville Cardinals quarterback is projected to be picked in a later round. There could be something that the Steelers see in Shough that others don't, but it's likely he doesn't start his professional career as more than a backup.

Although the Steelers' 21st overall pick could be too far down to get a prospect like Sanders, the team could trade up in the draft to increase their odds of landing a top-tier signal-caller. It's unlikely that the Steelers haven't thought of the scenario that Greenberg laid out, and prepared for the worst just in case. 

Shough is in for an uphill fight if he hopes to compete for the starting spot at any team with Sanders and Dart as his competition. The most likely scenario in which Pittsburgh, or any team, takes Shough is only after the higher-ranked prospects have been drafted.

Do you think the Steelers should draft Shough? Do you think the Louisville quarterback would be a good fit for Pittsburgh? Let us know in the comments.

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