Schefter: Would Be Surprising if Steelers Take QB Round 1
ESPN insider Adam Schefter would be surprised if the Pittsburgh Steelers select a quarterback in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin hasn’t closed the door on drafting a quarterback in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. ESPN insider Adam Schefter would be surprised if it happened, though.
“I can’t imagine, nor could they, that Shedeur Sanders would somehow slip that far,” Schefter said. “Let me say for the record right now, despite speculation to the contrary, I will be surprised if the Pittsburgh Steelers take a quarterback in Round 1. I don’t think they’re drafting a quarterback in Round 1. That’s me based on conversations with a lot of different people.”
The Steelers currently own the No. 21 overall pick, which puts them out of reach from the top two quarterbacks — Miami’s Cam Ward and Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders. That’s why Schefter thinks they’ll pass on the position in the first round, despite there being other options.
Outside of Ward and Sanders, the only other quarterbacks that could sneak into the first round are Mississippi’s Jaxson Dart and Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, but both would come at a risk.
Dart has been rising up draft boards over the past couple of months after throwing for 10,617 yards, 72 touchdowns and 22 interceptions during his three years at Mississippi. He also rushed for 1,500 yards and 12 more scores.
However, he is currently the consensus No. 31 overall player on the NFL Mock Draft Database big board.
Milroe, on the other hand, seems to have much higher upside after throwing for 5,678 yards and 39 touchdowns and rushing for 1,257 yards and 32 touchdowns over the past two seasons at Alabama.
He also put his elite athleticism on display at his pro day, running a blazing 4.37-second 40-yard-dash. But Milroe ranks as the No. 45 overall player on the NFL Mock Draft Database big board.
The Steelers have done their homework on both players. Tomlin, general manager Omar Khan and quarterbacks coach Tom Arth wined and dined Milroe ahead of his pro day. Pittsburgh is also planning to host Dart on a pre-draft visit in April.
Still, it is difficult to imagine the Steelers using their first-round pick on one of them. A Day 2 selection makes a lot more sense, but that could be difficult for Pittsburgh since it doesn’t own a second-round pick.