Steelers Named Landing Spot for Talented LSU QB Jayden Daniels

With all the questions surrounding the Steelers, quarterback remains perhaps the most enormous hole and question on the entire team. Something will have to be done at the position this offseason, but just what remains to be seen. Could the team end up looking for a new quarterback through a trade? If they do, there will only be a few options, but Emory Hunt of CBS Sports has an idea. The most intriguing of those options might be LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels.

Daniels is up for the Heisman Trophy and led the Tigers to a 9-3 record. But his record-setting season was better than that record indicates. Not only did Daniels slice up the SEC on the ground with his elusiveness in the open field, but with Brian Thomas and Malik Nabers as his receivers, the passing offense became one of college football’s most dynamic attacks.

“Before everyone hopped on board with what I said in the summer, Jayden Daniels would have been perfect for where the Steelers were going to pick,” Hunt said. “That’s what was going to be my surprise first-round pick.”

As Hunt alludes to, Daniels will likely be gone before Pittsburgh picks. But if they like him that much, trading up is always an option. Of course, you must consider what the team wants to do with Kenny Pickett. A mid-round pick seems a near certainty, even for future backup investment. But if they try to get Daniels, they signal it is time to move on from Pickett. Despite many tendency-breaking moves in their history over the last few years, that one would be a bit surprising. The team does not generally move off young quarterbacks. They have invested a first-round pick in that easily.

But for Daniels, it makes sense with his dynamic ability. He has a winning pedigree. The corners for Daniels generally remained the same since he was a freshman. Daniels is lighter than your average quarterback and plays with reckless abandonment in the open field. If Pickett’s injuries were a concern, Daniels might be an even bigger problem. Daniels has great processing and wins from the pocket, though. He is a player with a sustainable way of winning throughout the game. So, this fit could make sense if Pittsburgh is willing to go and land a big fish.