When Art Rooney II sat down with announcer Rob King to address the state of the Steelers, it wasn't surprising to hear Rooney say that Pittsburgh would likely select a quarterback in the NFL Draft in 2025 or 2026. This team crumbled down the stretch with Russell Wilson at the helm—losing five straight and scoring 14 points per game—and they will need to find a franchise quarterback.
Early indications from the offseason suggest the Steelers aren't going to take a big swing this April. While Pittsburgh had their brass on hand for Senior Bowl Week, Mike Tomlin and Omar Khan seemed to be infatuated with the talented group of defensive linemen this year.
Taking a quarterback in Round 1 may be out of the question... but throwing a dart at a QB on Day 2 might not be.
Recently, Justin Melo of Draft Network outlined the best fits for Jaxson Dart in the 2025 NFL Draft, and the Pittsburgh Steelers were at the top of the list. Melo talked about the interesting position the Steelers are in but insisted that drafting a prospect with upside like Dart would be an opportunity to land a long-term solution at quarterback.
Jaxson Dart is the one QB Steelers should gamble on in the NFL Draft
I recently wrote an article outlining every Day 2 quarterback selected in the NFL Draft over the past decade, and the results are worse than you can imagine. Outside of only Eagles' QB Jalen Hurts, the rest of the pack has been a disappointment, and many quickly found themselves out of the league.
Though the data suggests teams should avoid Day 2 quarterbacks at all costs, Jaxson Dart might be the only quarterback in this class worth selecting in the mid-rounds of the draft this year.
We can safely assume that Miami's Cam Ward and Colorado's Shedeur Sanders will be first-round picks when it's all said and done. Dart is my favorite of the rest of the group, but early in the process, I wouldn't consider taking him until the third round.
Still, if the Steelers are bent on selecting a quarterback in the draft this year. He's the player who is most worth the gamble. Dart had a solid Senior Bowl Week and made a few nice throws in the Senior Bowl game despite very limited action.
Dart checks nearly all of the boxes NFL teams look for in a quarterback and has the upside to be at least a mid-level NFL starter. The biggest holdup is that he's coming from a gimmicky Lane Kiffin offense at Ole Miss—making it hard to judge how well he can read a defense.
Regardless, this would be a worthwhile gamble for Pittsburgh, assuming you can wait until the third round to draft him. However, quarterback is a premium position, and there are some who have even teased that Dart could find himself as a late first-round pick.
We still have a long offseason to get a feel for where Jaxson Dart will go in the 2025 NFL Draft, but he's one quarterback among an unspectacular QB class who should be on the Steelers' radar this April.