It feels like Deja vu all over again. The Pittsburgh Steelers are on the verge of making the same huge mistake they made in 2022. All signs point to the Steelers selecting a quarterback in the upcoming NFL draft. This, despite the fact that it is almost universally considered a very weak draft at that position. Pittsburgh is just three years removed from the Kenny Pickett debacle, four years from the Ben Roethlisberger retirement. The amount of mistakes made at the quarterback position in such a short period of time is staggering. And yet, we may be in store for the biggest mistake yet.
The rumor mill is hot, and heavy with stories of the Steelers now sudden interest in Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders. He is generally regarded as the second best quarterback in this draft, albeit with quite a drop off from number one Cam Ward. There is a reason that the once thought of top ten prospect is now rumored to be falling as far as 21 to the Steelers. Many draft experts rave about Sanders anticipation, and accuracy. The analytics crowd love Sanders advanced stats, and his overall numbers from Colorado are certainly gaudy.
Here’s the problem with Shedeur Sanders. This is a smaller quarterback (6’1”), who has average arm strength and average athleticism. One of the bigger knocks on the Colorado quarterback is the fact that he takes far too many sacks. Sanders was sacked a whopping 42 times in 2024. This despite the fact that he led the nation in passes at, or behind the line of scrimmage. Some of this can be explained away by offensive line play, but a good deal is from holding the ball too long.
Then there’s the issue of playing in the Big 12. This is a conference which is among the poorest in the entire country. The level of competitiveness is abysmal, especially now that top programs like Texas and Oklahoma are no longer members. Add to that the fact that Colorado did not even play the top three teams in their own conference in 2024. Stat compiling with against this level of competition is far from impressive. Bottom line, Shedeur Sanders is a quarterback without any elite traits. He relies on almost entirely on intangibles, and instinct. That’s a tough sell when going against NFL defenses.
Sanders isn’t the only risky quarterback to take in the first round. All the candidates that will be available to the Steelers come with major drawbacks. Tyler Shough’s injuries and age are a major concern. Jalen Milroe has very concerning accuracy issues despite his elite physical traits. Even a quarterback we have lobbied for a lot this offseason in Jaxson Dart comes with risks. Many question his ability to come off his first read having come from Lane Kiffin’s offense. Steelers mock draft 1.0: The way too early version
The moral of this story is the Pittsburgh Steelers should steer clear of any quarterback in the first round of the 2025 draft. If someone like Shedeur Sanders should fall to the Steelers, they’d be better served trading the pick for more assets in 2026. That is a draft which is considered far superior in quarterback talent. Reaching for a quarterback in a weak class is what got the Steelers into this mess in the first place. Making that same mistake again would set the franchise back another three to five years. The old saying “those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it” seems very relevant for the Steelers in the upcoming draft.
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