The 2025 NFL Draft is going to be very telling on how the Pittsburgh Steelers view their team for the upcoming season, and what direction they are heading in as an organization. The majority of recent drafts, the Steelers are an easy team to gauge in terms of what position group they are focusing on in the first round, as well as who their top targets are. In 2025, that hasn't necessarily been the case.
Trevor Ruszkowski / USA Today
Steelers General Manager Omar Khan speaks to members of the media during a press conference at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, IN.
It is clear the Steelers need to add to their quarterback room in some capacity, as Mason Rudolph is currently penciled in as the starter. While Rudolph has his supporters based on his late season play in 2023, an upgrade would welcomed by Steeler Nation. That upgrade might come by signing Aaron Rodgers, but with that yet to take place, there is a lot of focus on the upcoming draft to see if the Steelers take a quarterback early.
Should Pittsburgh look to draft a signal-caller in the first round, it appears that they are focused in on Shedeur Sanders as their desired pick. There has been a lot of speculation on whether or not the team would have to move up in the first round to make selecting Sanders a reality, but some recent news reported by insider Adam Schefter states that they could potentially stay put and get their guy. Schefter posted an article with his up-to-date draft intel, and when discussing where Sanders could land, he mentioned that the New Orleans Saints are an unlikely landing spot, at least at the 9th overall pick. That should be music to Omar Khan's and Mike Tomlin's ears if they do indeed have their eyes set on Sanders.
"There is a belief around the league that the Saints are more interested in using a high pick on an offensive or defensive lineman," said Schefter. "Because there are questions about two starters: tackle Trevor Penning and guard Nick Saldiveri. The belief is they want to draft a quarterback -- just maybe not at No. 9."
If Sanders were to fall past the Saints in the first round, there is no clear team that would be interested in selecting him until the Steelers pick at 21st overall. This makes Sanders sliding another 11 picks after the Saints more likely, but still far from a sure thing.
Ross D. Franklin / ap photo
Former Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders talks with his dad and Head Coach Deion Sanders during a collegiate football game on the road..
Schefter went onto mention that while the Saints are unlikely to use the 9th overall pick to select a quarterback, that doesn't mean they still won't be selecting one early. Based on what he is hearing, the Saints are already exploring the potential of trading up from the 40th overall selection with their eyes likely set on drafting a quarterback.
"New Orleans already has made exploratory calls about trading up in Round 2, per league sources, and it's worth noting it has two third and two fourth-round picks."
No one should rule out the Saints making a move to attempt and get the quarterback they have their eyes on if he were to slide down into the late teens, as they have the firepower to move up to do so with the draft capital they have. While it might be more likely they would use those picks to jump back into the late first-round to get Sanders or Jaxon Dart should either of them slide past the Steelers, a trade up into the top 20 wouldn't be unheard of, especially for a quarterback.
Steelers Could Pass On First-Round Quarterback Because Of Past Mistakes
The quarterback carousal the last few seasons for the Steelers has been nothing short of frustrating, and everyone is ready to finally have an option that could be the answer for many years to come. However, the team is likely still feeling some type of way based on the mistake they made in 2022.
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Browns' Kenny Pickett during an interview with the Cleveland media.
Selecting Kenny Pickett in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft clearly didn't work out, and a mistake like that can put a team back several seasons from a quarterback standpoint. They're clearly still feeling the aftermath of that miss, and that might have them a bit weary of repeating that mistake again in 2025.
Do you think Sanders will fall to the Steelers at 21 and the team should take him? Let us know in the comments below!
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