Shedeur Sanders has become the biggest wild card of the 2025 NFL Draft, and at least one team is reportedly prepared to alter their plans if the former Colorado star slides down the board on Day 1.
The Pittsburgh Steelers want Aaron Rodgers to be their starting quarterback next season, but they still have not gotten an answer from him. Rodgers said last week that he is dealing with some issues in his personal life and still has not ruled out retirement.
With Pittsburgh’s only viable QB contingency plan being Mason Rudolph, ESPN’s Adam Schefter wrote on Monday that pressure is building for the Steelers to find a quarterback early in the draft. They have the 21st overall pick, and they seem prepared to select Sanders if he falls that far.
“Sources said the Steelers had not been planning to draft a quarterback in Round 1, but they also were not expecting Sanders to fall out of top 10. Now, all options seem to be on the table, and they are preparing in case they have the option to draft Sanders,” Schefter wrote.
The Steelers do not have a second-round pick from when they acquired DK Metcalf, so Schefter also views them as a candidate to trade back. It is possible that Pittsburgh will try to move out of the first round altogether in order to secure an additional pick. They might still be in position to draft Jaxson Dart, Tyler Shough or Jalen Milroe if they do that.
Sanders visited with the Steelers earlier this month. Some wondered if that meant Pittsburgh is looking to trade up in the first round, but the due diligence likely has more to do with the prospect of Sanders experiencing the dreaded first-round slide.
While Sanders held an intriguing final private workout with a team last week, his chances of being drafted in the top 10 have seemingly dwindled by the week.
