Graziano: Watch Out for Steelers to Move Up in 2025 NFL Draft
Dan Graziano of ESPN believes there's a chance the Pittsburgh Steelers will look to trade up in the 2025 NFL Draft.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are still in the market for a quarterback as the wait continues for Aaron Rodgers to make a decision. Dan Graziano of ESPN believes they could look to make a splash in the 2025 NFL Draft even if they were to eventually land Rodgers.
Graziano thinks the deciding factor in whether the Steelers make a trade up for a quarterback is what the New Orleans Saints do at pick No. 9.
“Fact of the matter is, if the Saints like Shedeur Sanders enough to take him at nine, they might have been thinking that anyway with (Derek) Carr only under contract for one more year. But it does leave an air of intrigue to this 10 days ahead of time. If Shedeur Sanders does not go at nine, if he’s still at 10 or in the teens, watch out for the Pittsburgh Steelers at 21 for potential to move up,” Graziano said on ESPN’s “SportsCenter.” “They had him in for a visit last week. They’re still waiting on an answer from Aaron Rodgers to whom they’ve had an offer out for some time.”
News struck the NFL last Friday, detailing that Carr is dealing with a shoulder injury that threatens his availability for the 2025 season. If the Saints ultimately shut down Carr for 2025, they’ll become obvious suitors for Sanders at No. 9.
That would be a big blow to Pittsburgh, which just hosted the Colorado quarterback for a pre-draft visit last week.
However, Graziano doesn’t think that would stop the Steelers from still landing a quarterback in this year’s draft.
“They know that Aaron Rodgers is not going to be the long-term answer at quarterback, even if he does sign there,” Graziano said. “So the Steelers could be in the mix for a quarterback at 21. Remember, they don’t have a second-round pick.”
Not owning a second-round pick could make a trade up for Pittsburgh difficult, anyway. So the Steelers might be left with the decision of reaching on a quarterback like Mississippi’s Jaxson Dart or Alabama’s Jalen Milroe in the first round or addressing the position later on in the draft.
Either way, it’s safe to assume Pittsburgh will be adding another quarterback to its room by the end of the month. The question is, how high?