Insider: ‘Very Good Bet’ Shedeur Sanders is the Steelers’ First-Round Pick
NFL insider Tony Pauline is buying the hype that the Pittsburgh Steelers are very intrigued by Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders. Speculation has increased over the last week that Pittsburgh could be the landing spot for the highly-touted quarterback.
“One thing that became very apparent is it seems Mike Tomlin is in favor of selecting Shedeur Sanders,” Pauline said on 93.7 the Fan. “Likes him personally. Shedeur Sanders is a very good bet to be their selection at 21.”
Sanders is an intriguing prospect after throwing for 7,364 yards, 64 touchdowns and 13 interceptions over the past two seasons at Colorado.
Todd McShay of The Ringer reported earlier this week that Mike Tomlin is very high on Sanders.
“I tend to trust where I get this information,” McShay said on The McShay Show. “Mike Tomlin really likes Sheduer. If he’s there at 21, Shedeur could very well be a Pittsburgh Steeler.”
With the Steelers stuck in quarterback purgatory, it’s not surprising that Tomlin has a lot of interest in the Colorado signal-caller, and the betting sites are all over the map on this pick. The Steelers need a long-term solution at QB, and Sanders could be the answer. His style of play certainly would mesh well with the Steelers’ big-bodied wide receivers DK Metcalf and George Pickens.
Jeff Hathhorn of 93.7 The Fan also believes there is some mutual interest between the Steelers and Sanders.
“Yeah, there is mutual respect, mutual interest,” Hathhorn said. “I think it starts with his father and then trickles down to the son. It’s no secret the Steelers are interested in a quarterback. They need a quarterback, and Shedeur is high on their list.”
If the Steelers don’t land Sanders, Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe could be an intriguing prospect in the third-round. In fact, Mel Kiper of ESPN has the Steelers trading up for Milroe at No. 68 overall in his latest mock draft.
NFL Network lead draft analyst and former NFL scout Daniel Jeremiah thinks Milroe has more upside than even Miami quarterback Cam Ward, who’s projected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
“Talking to teams, though, if you were to use the word the phrase with him that’s used more than any other of all the quarterbacks in this draft, that’s the lottery ticket. If you want to just take a lottery ticket that you could hit huge on if it all works out and all comes together, he’s got the highest upside of anybody in this draft, and that goes all the way up to Cam Ward at No. 1,” Jeremiah said during a conference call previewing the 2025 NFL Draft.
“But he is a long way from getting there. So to me it’s a classic second round pick. You get your first pick in the bag. You feel comfortable about it. It’s a double off the wall. Now you can stop choking up and swing for the fences with Jalen Milroe. That’s how just about everybody universally views him. We’ll see where he ends up going.”