McShay: Mike Tomlin Really Likes Shedeur Sanders
Todd McShay of The Ringer is hearing that Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin is very intrigued by Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders.
With the Steelers stuck in quarterback purgatory, it’s not surprising that Tomlin has a lot of interest in the Colorado signal-caller. The Steelers need a long-term solution at QB, and Sanders could be the answer.
“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.”
Jeff Hathhorn of 93.7 The Fan also believes there is some mutual interest between the Steelers and Shedeur 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.”
The Steelers welcomed Sanders to the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex last Thursday, ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft in two weeks.
“I enjoyed my time here in Pittsburgh. I think I connected well with all the coaches, and it was real fun,” he said on Up & Adams.
When asked for a grade on the visit, he gave it a 10.
“I understand the mindset and why they win a lot,” he said.
He attributed that to the franchise’s culture and said that Mike Tomlin has a lot to do with it.
“What he preaches from his staff down is similar to my dad,” he said.
Shedeur’s father Deion was his head coach throughout college at Jackson State and Colorado. He’s also in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and considered one of the best cornerbacks in the history of the NFL.
While the Steelers are reportedly high on Sanders, that’s not the case around the NFL.
Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated is hearing that NFL talent evaluators have major concerns with Sanders, and it has nothing to do with his brash personality.
“I’m having a really hard time finding coaches or scouts who believe Sanders is a first-round talent,” Breer wrote. “This, by the way, is separate from any issue anyone has with his personality. Those questions exist, but lots of teams have made exceptions in that department in the past to take on guys with special talents. The problem seems to be that too many folks don’t think Sanders has those types of gifts.
“What I keep hearing—and this has nothing to do with anyone having some personal issue with Sanders, or looking for him to fall in the draft so they can draft him—is that he isn’t a great athlete on tape, doesn’t have exceptional arm talent, and too often does things that simply won’t translate to the NFL game.”
Breer thinks there’s a good chance that Sanders will fall out of the top-10, which would put him in prime position to land with the Steelers at No. 21.
“Anyway, I don’t think Sanders is going in the top three. And at this point, it feels like it’d be surprising if the Las Vegas Raiders, New York Jets or Saints took him in the top 10,” Breer wrote.