The Pittsburgh Steelers selected quarterback Kenny Pickett after the Pitt signal caller fell to No. 20 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft. Could history repeat itself with the Steelers picking Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders?
It’s at least possible. The Steelers hold the No. 21 selection this year, and Sanders has fallen in some mock drafts this spring.
But SI on Steelers’ Noah Strackbein argued the Steelers don’t appear interested in the Colorado signal caller.
“Pittsburgh didn’t have their typical brass at the Boulder Pro Day to check out Sanders. So far, there’s no been no known report that he’s headed to the Steelers for a pre-draft visit, and did not hold a formal meeting with him at the NFL Combine,” wrote Strackbein.
“That could mean they aren’t spending time scouting a player they do not believe will fall to them, or that they don’t want Sanders as an option.”
Sanders completed 74% of his passes for 4,134 passing yards and 37 touchdowns in 2024. The quarterback also had 3,230 passing yards and 27 touchdowns during 2023.
According to the NFL mock draft database, Sanders has remained a top 10 pick in most mock drafts. However, some mocks are predicting Sanders to stay on the board even past the Steelers at No. 21 overall.
Steelers Not Interested in QB Shedeur Sanders?
The Steelers weren’t completely absent from the Colorado Pro Day on Friday. PennLive.com’s Nick Farabaugh reported Pittsburgh area scout Kelvin Fisher was at the pro day.
But head coach Mike Tomlin and general manager Omar Khan were not in attendance. Neither was offensive coordinator Arthur Smith or a position coach.
Farabaugh agreed with Strackbein that this is a sign the Steelers do not plan to pursue Sanders even if he falls out of the top 10.
“They could host [Sanders] for a visit over these next two weeks, much like they did for Ole Miss’s Jaxson Dart,” Farabaugh wrote. “But it sure seems the team is more interested in the next tier of quarterbacks rather than Sanders, who might not even make it to 21st overall.”
Tomlin and his team have shown interest in quarterback Jaxson Dart. The Steelers hosted the Ole Miss signal-caller for a visit Friday.
That’s all the more reason to argue the Steelers not meeting with Sanders indicates the team isn’t interested.
Could Mike Tomlin Be Hiding Interest in Sanders?
NFL teams often play games during the draft process. Organizations don’t like its rivals, or really any other teams, knowing their plans.
There’s a chance the Steelers purposefully aren’t showing interest in Sanders so other teams don’t know they are potentially targeting the quarterback.
“It appears the Steelers message is clear. Either they’re pulling another Kenny Pickett and trying to hide the fact that they want Sanders in this year’s draft, or they don’t believe he’s on their list,” wrote Strackbein.
The Steelers, though, attended the Pitt Pro Day in 2022 with several key members of the organization, including Tomlin. Granted, there was no travel involved whereas Colorado is a flight away.
But after selecting Pickett, members of the Steelers organization regularly touted how much they already knew the quarterback because the team shared a facility with Pitt.
The Steelers do not have a previous relationship with Sanders. They don’t appear set on forming one in the next three weeks either.
The logical answer as to why is the lack of interest from the organization in targeting Sanders during the 2025 NFL Draft.
