Steelers Draft QB? Not Likely

There's a general sentiment that the Pittsburgh Steelers could stop Shedeur Sanders' fall down the board tonight should he be available when the team is on the clock at No. 21 overall, though several insiders aren't so sure they're gung-ho on selecting a quarterback on Day 1 of the NFL Draft.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Gerry Dulac has been at the forefront of those reports, stating in his Steelers draft prediction piece that the team has too many roster needs that can't be ignored in favor of selecting a signal caller, especially since they believe Aaron Rodgers will eventually sign with them.

"There is the utmost urgency to win a playoff game after an eight-year drought," Dulac wrote. "They have too many pressing issues — and have actually regressed, roster-wise, since last season — to use their top pick on a rookie quarterback who might not even be an immediate contributor."

Furthermore, he mentioned in a Steelers chat earlier this week that they won't reach for a quarterback given how the Kenny Pickett experiment transpired.

"You are wrong," Dulac wrote. "The last thing they will do is "reach" for a QB. The Kenny Pickett mess -- the best QB of an average draft class -- is still fresh on their mind."

FOX Sports' Jordan Schultz tackled that same topic in a recent report of his, expressing that Pittsburgh could be a bit weary about choosing Sanders after Pickett didn't pan out.

"Now, should the Giants take Carter at 3, I'm not sure if there's another logical destination for Sanders until Pittsburgh, at 21," Schultz wrote. "But would GM Omar Khan be a little more cautious, considering he picked Kenny Pickett at 20 just three years ago? That's a legitimate question being asked among league circles heading into the draft."

The Steelers will almost certainly land a quarterback at some point in the draft, though they may use their third-round pick or one of their four Day 3 picks to do so rather than pass up on premier prospects at other positions to do so in the first round.

That's not to say there's no chance Sanders or someone like Alabama's Jalen Milroe will be Pittsburgh's Day 1 choice, but it may instead opt to pick a defensive tackle, running back or even a defensive back as a means of building a more complete roster that can contend in 2025.