The Pittsburgh Steelers are in a position to attack the quarterback position in the 2025 NFL Draft whether or not Aaron Rodgers is in the team's plans. If the right player is available for the right price, the Steelers would be committing roster malpractice by passing on the long-term solution at the quarterback position just because there's a short-term fix staring them in the face.
But picking a quarterback in the NFL Draft is an inexact science, and Steelers fans know that all too well. Kenny Pickett is on his third NFL team already, and the Steelers just picked him in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
How can the Steelers avoid making another huge mistake in the 2025 NFL Draft at the quarterback position, short of simply not taking one?
3 nightmare QB scenarios for the Steelers in the 2025 NFL Draft
1. Trading a 2026 first-round pick to move up for anybody
I am a big believer -- you should never firmly take anything off the table when it comes to the NFL Draft, because it's impossible to know the future and how all these guys are going to turn out in the league. With that said, there is absolutely nobody in this year's class that is worth the possibility of missing out on a prospect of the caliber of Arch Manning or just about anyone else who could be available in 2026.
This year's quarterback class has some interesting players, and you never know when a player is going to thrive in the right context. That doesn't mean you ignore a blatant talent discrepancy from an upcoming class.
We saw this happen in 2022 when the Steelers were the only team to get tricked into taking a lesser talent in the 1st round despite the class the following year featuring three quarterbacks in the top four picks overall.
It's not worth the sacrifice for a team like the Steelers to risk not having their 1st-round pick in 2026 just to move up for someone in the 2025 class.
2. Shedeur Sanders falling to the 20th pick, and another team sniping the Steelers
Realistically speaking, this might be the most realistic nightmare scenario the Steelers are facing. The only thing that could make this worse is if it's a team like the Browns moving up in front of the Steelers to get the Colorado star quarterback.
I said that no QB in this draft is worth a future 1st-round pick to move up for, but that doesn't mean the Steelers should sit idly by if Shedeur Sanders falls out of the top 10 picks overall. You might not want to trade a future 1st, but trading away something to go up and get Sanders if he starts falling down the board would not be a bad idea at all.
It would be an absolute disaster if the Steelers end up one pick away from potentially landing Sanders, only to get sniped by some other team sitting behind them in the order. Slow feet don't eat.
3. Passing on Jalen Milroe
Look, I'm not going to sit here and say Jalen Milroe, no matter what with that 21st overall pick. I just have a sneaking suspicion that the Steelers will regret passing on the Alabama quarterback.
His skill set is absolutely perfect for Arthur Smith's offense, and his upside as a runner is better than pretty much any other quarterback that has run that offense in recent years. In fact, calling it 'upside' feels like a slight to his ability. Milroe is a rare type of weapon as a runner, not entirely in the mold of Lamar Jackson but certainly with that type of speed.
The Steelers are poised to be in the perfect position to take a player like Milroe, especially if they sign Aaron Rodgers. They have other roster needs but they're already going to be all in on the 2025 season if they end up signing Rodgers. Why not get a plan for the future in place and use him as an offensive weapon in the meantime? The Steelers might regret passing on Jalen Milroe if they could have had him at 21 and someone takes him before they pick again in the third round.