The Pittsburgh Steelers are entering unknown territories at the quarterback position. The team's plan in 2024 was to let Russell Wilson and Justin Fields duke it out to see which QB could lead this team in 2025 and beyond. Sadly, the answer could be neither.
Though Art Rooney II admitted that he would like to retain either Wilson or Fields on a multi-year contract, it's highly unlikely that whichever quarterback returns to the team is anything more than a stop-gap starter.
Eventually, the Steelers will need to take a stab at a franchise signal-caller in the NFL Draft, and that could happen as early as this April.
This isn't a strong quarterback class. Not only does the 2025 class lack elite QB talent at the top, but it's also thin on depth. Most draftable quarterbacks this year project as third-string quarterbacks in the NFL with several who could be capable NFL backups.
The Steelers are going to have some slim pickings. It's safe to assume that Miami's Cam Ward and Colorado's Shedeur Sanders will be off the board before Pittsburgh is on the clock with the 21st overall pick this year, and landing a QB in Round 1 doesn't seem to be a priority this year. For what it's worth, Mike Tomlin and Omar Khan had their eyes on the defensive line group during Senior Bowl week).
However, there is one quarterback worth rolling the dice on this year who checks nearly every box to be an eventual NFL starter.
Jaxson Dart should be the Steelers' only QB temptation in the NFL Draft
When you look down the list, the quarterbacks this year each have major flaws. Will Howard is a championship QB from Ohio State but lacks overall arm talent. Meanwhile, Alabama's Jalen Milroe is wildly inconsistent as a passer, Oregon's Dillion Gabriel is undersized with modest tools, Texas' Quinn Ewers never lived up to the hype, and Tyler Shough will turn 26 early in his rookie season.
But there's one prospect who checks every box a team looks for to eventually develop into a starting quarterback: Jaxson Dart. The Ole Miss product is young (21), has good size (6'2'', 226 pounds, 9 1/2'' hands), and a respectable blend of arm talent and mobility.
Jaxson Dart is a box-checker:
— Tommy Jaggi (@TommyJaggi) February 3, 2025
✅Size (6'2'', 226, 9 1/2'' hands)
✅Arm talent (not elite, but arm angles & touch)
✅Athleticism (scrambler over runner)
✅Production (329.2 Y/G, 10.8 Y/A in 2024)
✅Experience (3-year starter, 45 games played)
✅School (Power 5, 3 years in SEC)…
Additionally, Dart was the most productive quarterback in Power 5 football in 2024—averaging 329.2 passing yards per game and an outstanding 10.8 yards per attempt to go with a passer rating of 180.7. He's not just a one-year wonder either. Dart has three straight seasons of at least 20 passing touchdowns for the Rebels while boasting nearly 12,000 career college passing yards.
Dart doesn't necessarily go above and beyond when it comes to box-checking. His arm talent is good, but not elite by any stretch of the imagination, while he's a scrambler over a runner and is only going to have average athletic ability by NFL standards.
The biggest holdup with Dart is that he comes from a gimmicky Lane Kiffin offense where quarterbacks put up good numbers, but don't translate well to the NFL (Matt Corral being the most recent example). However, each evaluation is different, and Dart has more to work with.
Regardless, the NFL Draft is about taking calculated risks and projecting forward—especially at the quarterback position. There might not be a single franchise quarterback that comes out of the 2025 NFL Draft, but Jaxson Dart is the only QB the Steelers should gamble on where the value lines up with the need.