Steelers' Chances Of Drafting Popular QB Prospect In First Round Comes Down To 1 Person: "Has To Be On Board"

The Pittsburgh Steelers have shown serious interest in quarterback prospect Shedeur Sanders, who also seems to be interested in joining the Black and Gold. After Sanders' meeting with the Steelers in Pittsburgh, Sanders spoke highly of his visit and had great respect for Mike Tomlin and the rest of the front office. Tomlin gave a glowing report of Sanders when he and Omar Khan spoke to the media on Tuesday. It seems that everyone in the Steelers' building is in on Sanders, but the final decision will come down to one very important person. 

The Steelers have no time to wait around. Their top defensive stars are all getting older as each year without a playoff win passes by. Aaron Rodgers is making things extremely difficult and complicated for the Steelers, who are in search of a franchise quarterback, by not giving the team a definitive answer regarding his future.

Earlier in the offseason, members of the Steel City weren't even contemplating the idea of the Steelers selecting Sanders in the first round. As he began to fall down draft boards, not many other teams outside of the top three picks need a quarterback right now. The Steelers are one of those teams. Mixed reports were released about the meeting in Pittsburgh between the two parties, but the consensus is that they had a great meeting. Pittsburgh's head coach seems to be all for the Steelers drafting Sanders, but Adam Schefter explained on Wednesday that one more person needs to be on board with that. 

"Well, look, I think that Shedeur Sanders does have some support within the organization, undoubtedly, but I think a lot will depend on who's available in the draft at 21 and what direction they then go," Schefter said. "If Shedeur Sanders slides there, I think there's going to be some organizational discussions, and I think ultimately, when you're making a pick like this, I think the owner has to be on board."

Schefter continues to explain why the opinion and thoughts of Steelers President and Owner Art Rooney II matter most. 

"We don't know what Art Rooney thinks about this particular selection, which is why it's hard to forecast exactly how it's going to go in Pittsburgh. I would say that Mike Tomlin is absolutely a Shedeur Sanders fan. He's got support there. Arthur Smith is a Shedeur Sanders fan. People like him there. The question is, is the owner going to sign off?"

Pittsburgh's last experience selecting a quarterback in the first round did not go well. In 2022, Rooney and the Steelers decided to take a swing on Kenny Pickett and failed miserably. That failure could be haunting Rooney in the back of his mind. Pickett was selected far too early in the 2022 NFL Draft, and the Steelers don't want to make the same mistake with Sanders. Based on how Tomlin spoke of him, they may not feel that way at all with Sanders. 

Regardless of whether Rodgers will be in a Steelers uniform for 2025, the Black and Gold have no choice but to find their next franchise quarterback in either this year's or next year's draft. Sanders could be the one, but another failed experience with him would set the Steelers back years.

Steelers' Quarterback Issue Could Linger For Many Years To Come

It's highly possible that the fan base in two or three years could be looking back to this time and wondering what went wrong. Pickett was drafted in 2022 to be the successor of Ben Roethlisberger. It's now been three years since, and the Steelers are in the same exact position. They'll be in the same position another three years down the road if they select Sanders and he doesn't succeed. By then, Tomlin may be out of the door in Pittsburgh. This decision surrounding Sanders is actually a much larger deal than it may seem to some. 

Do you think Rooney is going to approve the selection of Sanders if he is there when the Steelers are on the clock? Should the Steelers even draft Sanders if he is available? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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