The Steelers surprised many as pick after pick went by in the 2025 NFL Draft and they continued to watch Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders slide throughout the draft. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the reason Pittsburgh never made the call was because the organization “did not reach a consensus on Sanders as a slam dunk pick.” 
The Steelers came into the draft with a need at quarterback. Sure, they were (and still are) in talks with veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers, but nothing had been signed or decided on that front, and even if it had been, Rodgers is 41 years old and is three full years removed from playing the elite level of ball we’ve come to associate him with. Securing a top passing prospect would have still been a smart move if Rodgers ends up on the roster because it would give them a student to learn and develop behind him.
Pittsburgh did end up taking a quarterback in the draft, but that selection wouldn’t come until late into Day 3, when Will Howard was selected in the sixth round. Following the departures of one-year rentals Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, Howard joins a group that contains former Steelers backup Mason Rudolph and former Dolphins backup Skylar Thompson. Both have seen time as starters in injury replacement situations in their careers, and while Rudolph has fared decently in his opportunities, neither quarterback inspires much confidence heading into the 2025 season.
This begs the question: why didn’t Pittsburgh take a swing on a quarterback earlier? Or, if they knew they were going to wait to select one, why, when they saw Sanders freefalling round after round, did they not take a flyer on his obvious potential?
One can certainly see where they liked the value they were getting for versatile Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon as a potential eventual replacement for Cameron Heyward or the hole-filling potential of third-round Iowa rusher Kaleb Johnson, who could compete with Jaylen Warren for some serious carries. But once the fourth round rolled around and Sanders, a projected first- or second-round pick, was still around, how important was it to add Jack Sawyer to blend in with a group that already contains T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, and Nick Herbig? Does Sawyer add more value to that group that Sanders would’ve to a position that only contained Rudolph and Thompson at the time? The Steelers will need to hope so.
Ultimately, Fowler tells us that the team was “comfortable with (Sanders) as a distributing point guard type,” but they couldn’t all agree that he was “a slam dunk pick.” It’s true that a knock on Sanders was his reliance on screens, quick passes, and checkdowns — only 23.7 percent of his completions at Colorado were on throws over 10 yards.
Regardless, his playing style helped him to finish fourth in the country in yards per game while throwing 37 touchdowns to 10 interceptions. Even with three extra games on his schedule, Howard did not encroach upon Sanders’ yardage or touchdown numbers last year. But the team was undecided on whether Sanders was worth the fourth-round flyer, and that led him to his new home in Cleveland.
The Steelers are still getting a quarterback who had a great completion percentage (73.0) while throwing the ball a bit more downfield (9.5 yards per attempt) and still having an impressive touchdown-interception ratio. They’ll just have to hope that Howard (and Sawyer) contribute enough to erase any doubt of the decision they made.
Sanders was trash and will be trash. The media pushing him on the Steelers was, and felt, so forced and disgusting. Steelers didn’t want him, Steelers fans didn’t want him. Get over it.
They didn’t want to have to deal with his dad either if he wasn’t a slam dunk.
The fact that the Steelers are STILL pining after 41 yr old Aaron Rodgers instead of drafting Sanders is ridiculous. Sounds like the Steelers need to clean house and bring in a whole new coaching staff and scouting department……..
Could be worse, they could have the scouting staff that selected Gabriel and Sanders
Because, that’s what the Steelers do.
It’s amazing that fans have become conditioned to cheer for the firing of coaches and execs like they have. How does that work out typically?
Rodgers isn’t an issue for one year. It’s the fact they might be content going into the season with a Mason Rudolph Skyler Thompson QB room. It’s like they are trying to win 3 games
Or maybe Sanders isn’t actually that good.
Why isn’t a total lack of agreement considered a “consensus”?
why waste a higher pick on a guy that will be a constant headache and a back up qb in the nfl? Just because you need a qb doesn’t mean you waste a higher pick on a guy that won’t fix that position. That’s what bad organizations do and they are constantly redrafting that position…ie the Browns, Jets, Titans, Indy etc….Rodgers isn’t the answer either. They should just tank with Mason Rudolph and get a qb next year……or who knows maybe Howard will be the guy. All these guys obviously have skills, but they have to be able to read a defense at the line of scrimmage to succeed.
Maybe that’s because Sanders isn’t a slam dunk pick.
You can’t force teams to take somebody they don’t want to take just because you want to hype him up.