When Shedeur Sanders fell to the 21st overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, many NFL analysts assumed the Pittsburgh Steelers would jump all over this. Sanders was once considered a top-10 prospect in the draft, and with only Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson at the quarterback position, Sanders made too much sense.
Instead, the Steelers opted for Oregon Ducks defensive lineman Derrick Harmon. Harmon is a player Pittsburgh has had their eyes on since the NFL Combine, and when you follow the trail of breadcrumbs, he's the player we expected. In my final seven-round Steelers mock draft, I slotted Harmon to the Steelers.
While I'm a big fan of Harmon and the upside he offers as a versatile defensive lineman, the Steelers passed on the opportunity to land a franchise quarterback. Now, without a competent QB option and with Aaron Rodgers nowhere to be found, we can only point the finger at the way that he fumbled the Justin Fields situation.
The Pittsburgh Steelers brought a quarterback nightmare upon themselves in 2025
Following Week 6 of the 2024 season, Tomlin benched Fields for veteran Russell Wilson. Ironically, this came after a blowout win over the Raiders. Prior to being benched, Fields led the Pittsburgh Steelers to a 4-2 record while chipping in 10 total touchdowns and just one interception while executing Tomlin's game plan.
After burning bridges with Fields, it wasn't surprising to see the athletic quarterback opt for a fresh start with rookie head coach Aaron Glenn and the New York Jets in free agency. Tomlin botched every opportunity to land a competent quarterback early in the 2025 offseason.
With a shot to redeem himself and take Shedeur Sanders, Tomlin didn't take advantage.
I can't say that I fully blame him. I have my doubts about Sanders' upside as an NFL quarterback because of his average arm talent and mobility. We know that Pittsburgh needs to take a swing on a franchise quarterback at some point, but they opted for what they believe to be a foundational cornerstone on the defensive line with Derrick Harmon.
Mike Tomlin and the front office staff will still take a QB in the 2025 NFL Draft, and they could take a bigger swing on a signal-caller in next year's draft. But this isn't going to sit well for some within the fanbase who aren't content with the deplorable quarterbacks on the roster for the 2025 season. Let's hope he made the right move after the Justin Fields debacle.