Leading up to the 2025 NFL Draft that gets underway on Thursday, different stories linked a Pittsburgh Steelers team that possesses the 21st overall pick with Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders and Alabama signal-caller Jalen Milroe.
For a mock draft posted on Tuesday, Conor Orr of Sports Illustrated predicted that Pittsburgh will choose Milroe over Sanders at selection No. 21.
“If I know one thing about the offenses (Steelers offensive coordinator) Arthur Smith has tried to build over the years, it’s that the core tenet is toughness and the threat of a face-punching on every down,” Orr wrote. “Smith is a great rhythm play-caller and had something going with Justin Fields before the full-time switch to Russell Wilson last year.”
The perception now exists that Smith wanted to stick with Fields as Pittsburgh’s QB1 this past season after the speedster won four of six starts when Wilson was sidelined with a calf injury. Head coach Mike Tomlin preferred the not-as-elusive Wilson and then kept the veteran in the lineup through what became a five-game losing streak that lasted through the playoffs.
As much as the Steelers clearly want to add Aaron Rodgers to a quarterback room that features Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson, Pittsburgh is also expected to grab at least a project signal-caller for the future during the draft. For a different article published on Tuesday, an AFC coordinator told Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer that he feels “there’s no reason Milroe can’t be Jalen Hurts” and thinks Milroe “might be the best quarterback runner I’ve ever evaluated.”
Meanwhile, one unnamed NFC quarterbacks coach believes Sanders would “be a sixth-round pick” if he didn’t share a last name with Pro Football Hall of Famer and Colorado head coach Deion Sanders, Shedeur’s father.
“Pittsburgh has a chance to pivot similar to the way the Eagles did offensively (with Hurts),” Orr continued, “and Milroe offers a no-excuses, high-end battering ram under center with uncharted upside in the passing game. …What I love about Milroe is that he doesn’t scramble. He was running an actual QB-centric running game in the toughest collegiate football conference. Who are we to say he can’t do that in the NFL?”
As of Tuesday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook listed the Steelers as the betting favorites at +190 odds to draft Sanders. If Orr is right, Pittsburgh could give the football community quite the surprise on Thursday night.
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