With a little bit of luck, the starting quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers will come in the form of the 21st pick of the first round of the NFL Draft.
His name is not going to be Shedeur Sanders.
Sanders will probably be drafted by the New Orleans Saints with the ninth pick, but the Steelers will still get the second best quarterback in the draft when they select in the bottom third of the first round. I think Sanders will be over drafted at nine, but teams have a tendency to put a premium on the quarterbacks in the draft and take the best one regardless of their pick value.
The Saints are going to need a quarterback with starter Derek Carr projected to have surgery on his shoulder which should knock him out for the 2025 season. Sanders seems to be the pick.
Steelers fans should not fret. The name and the style of play does not live up to the hype. If his name was Shedeur Smith, he would probably be a second or third round pick. People are buying the steak for the sizzle here. Hopefully people in Pittsburgh will not have to fall for it if Sanders slides down to 21 some how.
Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart is the second best quarterback on the board after Miami’s Cam Ward who is projected to go to the Tennessee Titans with the first pick of the draft. Dart is tough as nails and embodies everything the Pittsburgh Steelers represent.
Dart will not escape Mike Tomlin’s clutches on the first night of the draft. He has a tremendous upside and had a great career at Ole Miss. He has an uncanny ability to find the open man on the run and can extend plays with his legs.
He has 1,541 rushing yards for his college career and scored 14 touchdowns on the ground. That is the type of football Tomlin and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith like to play. The quarterback rolls out and either hits a receiver or tucks it under and runs up field. I like Dart to the Steelers in the first round and they are not settling.
For what it is worth, if the Steelers do draft Dart and do not sign Aaron Rodgers before the draft, I do not think Tomlin is going to continue to pursue the veteran. This might leave Rodgers no choice but to retire gracefully.
