Regardless of whether Aaron Rodgers rejoins the Pittsburgh Steelers for the 2026 season, we know that general manager Omar Khan and new head coach Mike McCarthy want to find their long-term quarterback through the NFL Draft. While their heavy investment at the position may not come until 2027, the breadcrumbs point to Pittsburgh taking a QB in the 2026 NFL Draft.
And not just any quarterback; a quarterback with extraordinarily rare physical traits.
On Wednesday, reports surfaced that the Steelers were among several NFL teams scheduled to meet with Arkansas QB Taylen Green for a pre-draft visit. This news comes shortly after North Dakota State quarterback Cole Payton said he had a pre-draft visit planned with Pittsburgh.
These two signal-callers are widely considered the best traits-based QB prospects in the class. Though both players are remarkably raw as passers, they possess exceptional size, arm strength, and mobility at the position—tools that would even be considered elite by NFL standards.
Because of these intriguing 30 visits, the Steelers could be eyeing the ultimate upside gamble at quarterback in the draft this year.
The Pittsburgh Steelers could take low-risk, high-reward gamble on traits-based QB in the 2026 NFL Draft
Let's start with Green, the most recent reported pre-draft visit. The Arkansas prospect has highlight-reel tape thanks to his outstanding physical traits. At the 2026 NFL Combine, Green measured in at 6'6'' and 227 pounds with 34 3/4'' arms and 9 7/8'' hands. He ran a 4.36 40-yard dash while posting an insane 43 1/2'' vertical jump and a remarkable 11'2'' broad jump.
These are numbers that are simply unheard of at the quarterback position. Because of his phenomenal combination of size and athletic testing, Green earned a Relative Athletic Score of 9.99 out of 10. This ranked 2nd among 1,052 quarterbacks who tested from 1987 to 2026, per Math Bomb.
The Steelers also expressed interest in Cole Payton—a raw quarterback with exceptional traits to work with. At the Combine, Payton measured in at 6'3'' and 232 pounds with massive 10 1/4'' hands. He then ran a 4.56 40-yard dash. At his Pro Day, the athletic quarterback posted a 40'' vertical jump and a 10'10'' broad jump. This netted the NDSU prospect a 9.97 RAS out of 10—the 4th-best ever at the quarterback position.
So why would the Steelers want to gamble on a traits-based quarterback like this? The answer is simple: it's a low-risk move with a potentially sky-high reward.
Green and Payton are expected to go somewhere between the third and fourth rounds of the NFL Draft this year. And considering the Steelers currently have three third-round picks and a fourth-round pick, they can afford to take this swing on a quarterback.
Meanwhile, Pittsburgh has a second-year quarterback on a rookie contract who is just the opposite. Though Will Howard has a big frame at the position, he's only an average athlete with modest arm talent. However, Howard possesses a body of work—including a national championship win—that should give the Steelers some stability and variety in what could be a young QB room for 2026 and beyond.
At the low cost of a mid-round pick, the Steelers can swing for the fences with a quarterback like Green or Payton. While it's unlikely either quarterback hits their upside in the NFL, if they do, the Steelers could have a franchise signal-caller on their hands at a remarkably cheap cost.
This isn't the direction many anticipated McCarthy would want to go at quarterback, and perhaps he won't. It's still possible the Steelers could go with a more refined player with adequate physical traits, such as Carson Beck or Garrett Nussmeier.
However, it's not hard to get behind the philosophy of reaching for the stars when it comes to a mid-round quarterback like Taylen Green or Cole Payton. We'll soon find out if the Pittsburgh Steelers take this route in the NFL Draft.