Well, this would be unexpected. After Pittsburgh Steelers fans have come to the reality that this franchise will run it back with Russell Wilson or Justin Fields in 2025, Dane Brugler drops a bombshell on us in his first NFL mock draft following the NFL Combine.
With the 21st overall pick in the draft, Brugler has the Steelers rushing to turn their card in for Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders. This would be quite a surprise for a team that is running out of options.
"[Shedeur] Sanders is going to be a wild card in this draft," Brugler wrote via The Athletic. "He could go in the top six or fall out of the first round entirely — and neither outcome would be a shock.
He is not a first-round quarterback for a lot of NFL teams, which isn’t a major surprise (and matches my evaluation). But all it takes is one front office to roll the dice on his skill set."
"If Sanders falls out of the top 10, this would be an interesting landing spot," Brugler continued. "The Steelers are searching for answers at the QB position."
Nearly every mock draft from a respected source that has come out since the end of the college football season had Shedeur Sanders landing inside the top 10—even going number one overall in some mocks. Now Brugler—one of the most respected draft analysts in the business—believes Sanders could be ripe for the picking for Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh Steelers would have a hard time passing on Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders in the NFL Draft
Ironically, Brugler had the Giants trading up to the first overall pick in the NFL Draft to land Miami quarterback Cam Ward. While most fans don't believe the gap between Ward and Sanders is significant, it's apparent that NFL teams may feel the opposite.
But if 20 teams are willing to pass on arguably the best quarterback in college football, the Pittsburgh Steelers will gladly pick up the pieces.
Sanders is far from a perfect prospect. During his two seasons as the starting quarterback for the Colorado Buffaloes, Sanders took a whopping 94 sacks while throwing 10 interceptions in 2024. Additionally, Sanders doesn't possess elite arm talent or mobility. He's not a runner (as evidenced by his -127 career rushing yards) and he lacks the velocity to consistently drive the ball to the sidelines.
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However, with all of the negatives about his game, there is still more good that outweighs the bad, and there's a path to Sanders being a franchise quarterback in the NFL.
Where he excels is standing tough in the pocket and delivering the football over the middle of the field. Sanders' offensive line was abysmal in 2024, but he didn't let it phase him. The impressive quarterback still managed to throw for 4,134 yards and 37 touchdown passes while averaging 8.7 yards per attempt—leading all Big 12 quarterbacks in all three departments.
While Mike Tomlin may not like how many sacks Sanders has taken in a two-year span, there are some things he is sure to love. Sanders helped take a 1-11 football program in 2022 and turn it into a 9-4 team by his second season as the starting quarterback this past season. Of course, we know Tomlin will love his strong family bloodlines (his father is NFL Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders).
If Shedeur Sanders is available to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, it would be difficult to pass on him considering their quarterback situation. It's all about throwing darts on the board and seeing which one sticks, and Sanders has a chance to be a franchise quarterback in the NFL.