Don’t Discount Rising QB as Possibility for Steelers at No. 21
University of Mississippi quarterback Jaxson Dart continues to rise as the pre-draft process rolls on. ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper has the New Orleans Saints drafting Dart at ninth overall in his latest mock draft.
Given the Pittsburgh Steelers uncertain quarterback situation, Kiper thinks the Steelers could be in play for the highly-touted Mississippi signal caller at No. 21 overall. That’s if he’s available, however.
“I think Dart is in play earlier than (No. 21 overall),” Kiper said on Wednesday during his first 2025 NFL draft media call. “If he’s there, it would be really interesting. If you love him, you take him.
“If they don’t pull the trigger in the first round, they’ve got to wait until the third unless they move up. It’s going to be really interesting. If Dart is there (at No. 21), I say yeah, but I don’t think he will be.”
NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah has Pittsburgh selecting Dart at pick No. 21 in his latest mock draft.
“The Steelers’ plan at quarterback is not completely clear at the moment,” Jeremiah wrote. “Even if they were to land 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers, they would still need a long-term option at the position, so they take another swing here with Dart.”
Dart has been rising up draft boards over the past couple of months, but he is currently the consensus No. 34 overall player on the NFL Mock Draft Database big board.
Kiper also thinks Louisville quarterback Tyler Shough could be a sleeper pick in the second round. Shough had a pre-draft visit with the Steelers.
“He’s going to be in play in the second round,” Kiper said. “Could he be in the first? Maybe. It wouldn’t shock me.”
Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe could be another quarterback on the Steelers’ radar in the draft. General manager Omar Khan, head coach Mike Tomlin and quarterbacks coach Tom Arth had dinner with Milroe on the night before his pro day, according to a report by Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.
The Steelers’ brass was also in attendance at the pro day to witness Milroe’s blazing-fast 4.37-second 40-yard-dash.
“He’s so inconsistent in intermediate areas,” Kiper said. “He has passes that should be layups that he misfires. The Senior Bowl week, he was inconsistent. But he had games where if he would have bottled that game and played consistently, then yes you’d be talking about him in the mid-first. He just had erratic play. The talent is there, and he’s a great kid.”