The Pittsburgh Steelers will face a major decision on Thursday, as the team is likely looking to find its next franchise quarterback during the 2025 NFL Draft. Pittsburgh has been unable to find a reliable starting quarterback since the departure of Ben Roethlisberger, and the upcoming draft class is notoriously thin when it comes to elite signal-callers. The Steelers' likely top prospects are former Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders and former Ole Miss Rebels quarterback Jaxon Dart. Sanders seems to be the obvious first choice, as he is widely regarded as the second-best quarterback in the entire class behind Miami's Cam Ward. However, Dart's draft stock has been rising and is thought of by many as starting quarterback-caliber talent. Roethlisberger weighed in on the Steelers' young options.
Randy J. Williams / Associated Press
Former Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart throws a pass during collegiate game.
On Tuesday, Roethlisberger spoke on his podcast, Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger, about the 2025 draft class and what the Steelers' options are regarding a quarterback. Roethlisberger named Dart as a promising candidate.
"I really like what I saw from Jaxon Dart," said Roethlisberger. "It just seems like he's got a gunslinger mentality, but he can run. There's just something there."
Roethlisberger said that Dart has something about him that is hard to describe. A skill or trait that made him stand out as a prospect, but it's hard to put your finger on exactly. Roethlisberger said that Dart's gift was that he can make the ugly look good, and can make something from nothing. Roethlisberger argues that even though he wasn't impressed with Dart's Pro Day appearance, the pressure of playing during a game brings out the best in the young quarterback.
Despite being a thin quarterback draft class, the Steelers could still have plenty of options. Roethlisberger also named former Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard as a promising candidate. He cited Howard's mental fortitude and resilience as two of his strongest traits.
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Will Howard celebrates during the National Championship.
Roethlisberger brought up the example of Ohio State's loss to the Oregon Ducks early in the season. The Buckeyes lost the game due to a mistake from Howard, who slid when running the ball and allowed time to run out, causing the Ducks to win.
"In that situation as a quarterback, this is a big game at their place, and you lose it, if you will, on your mistake, I think a lot of guys would just crumble at that," said Roethlisberger. "What did he end up doing? They didn't lose another game, they play Oregon in the Rose Bowl, blow them out, and go win a National Championship. To me that's a winner."
While Howard has had some questionable offseason performances, he's given teams every reason to believe he can still be a starter-caliber talent at the pro level. A slight caveat to what Roethlisberger said is that the Buckeyes did lose one more game at the end of the regular season to the Michigan Wolverines. However, the loss against Michigan was a close one, and doesn't take away from the Buckeyes' and Howard's impressive season.
Jacob Kupferman / AP photo
Will Howard celebrates a strong run during the National Championship against Notre Dame.
Since the possibility of Sanders sliding to the Steelers has become more likely, conversation around other quarterbacks such as Dart and Howard has dwindled. However, there are plenty of quarterback-needy teams that have draft picks higher than the Steelers. If Pittsburgh doesn't trade up in the first round, Sanders could be off the board before the Steelers are on the clock. If that were to happen, it would be a debate over which quarterback the team should draft, or if they should take a signal-caller in the first round at all.
Steelers Will Have Several QB Options
Other options that have been suggested for the Steelers, such as Jalen Milroe and Tyler Shough, are considered second or third-round caliber talent, and could be drafted by Pittsburgh in later rounds if the team takes a defensive lineman with their first-round pick -- another major need for Pittsburgh.
Do you think that Sanders or Dart will be drafted by the Steelers 21st overall? Which quarterback would you rather see become a Pittsburgh Steeler? Let us know in the comments.
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