It is one of the worst-kept secrets that the Pittsburgh Steelers want to draft a quarterback this year. Given the uncertainty at the position, it makes sense to take another shot at finding your guy. Even in a weak class, you can never tell when the right guy will be available.
Unfortunately for Pittsburgh, they are light on draft capital. They dealt away their second-round pick for DK Metcalf, meaning that they only have picks in the first and third rounds over the course of the first two days of the draft.
Quarterbacks typically need to go earlier if they want a shot at being franchise options, and even competent backups are taken earlier than later. Almost as clear as the team wanting to draft a quarterback, their interest in two of the bigger names in the class is apparent.
Jaxson Dart and Jalen Milroe have been regular targets for the Steelers in mock drafts for good reasons. The team has done their homework on both, and they are viewed as the third and fourth best quarterbacks in the draft.
For Milroe specifically, it would make sense why Pittsburgh has gravitated toward him. He has all of the traits to be an elite quarterback. His throwing power is impressive, and his mobility is unmatched.
He has a lot of mechanical issues that lead to accuracy problems, but those can, in theory, be fixed. For a day-two pick, he would be worth the risk if you think you can develop him. This team wanted Justin Fields back, and Milroe gives you that dynamic running threat at quarterback.
The Pittsburgh Steelers will need to use pick 21 on Jalen Milroe if they want to land him
The bad news for the Steelers is that both Milroe and Dart have been invited to attend the draft in person. The NFL selects a handful of prospects to sit around and wait for their names to be called in person every year.
These players are almost always viewed as first-round picks. The league’s goal isn’t to invite late-round guys to sit around all weekend. They want everyone they bring in to go in the first round.
Yes, players have had to wait longer than expected. Will Levis comes to mind when he fell out of the first round a few seasons ago, but even if an invited player falls out of the first round, it is rare for them to fall that much farther.
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Occasionally, you get a player who lands in the 40s or even 50s of their respective draft, but betting on that is hard given the history. Even if Milroe were to fall into that range, the Steelers don’t have a second-round pick to use on him.
This means that if they want him, they will have to use their top pick to get him.
I don’t think Milroe is first-round worthy given his issues, but if this team feels forced into trying to find their guy this year, they are stuck. I struggle to see Milroe and Dart falling to the team’s third-round pick.
Perhaps the only consolation is that in 2022, the league invited Matt Corral and Malik Willis to the draft. Both attended, and neither was picked until the third round. Looking back on it now, teams were clearly down on that draft class, and rightfully so.
2025 is a weaker quarterback class, but it isn’t that bad on paper. Unless a repeat happens, or if the Steelers find a way to get back into the early-mid second round, their only shot at landing Milroe is in the first round. It seems like a reach, but in a quarterback-driven league, you have to take your shots at the position.