‘Do not Know What They’re Doing:’ Former NFL QB Miffed That Steelers Handed On QB In 1st Spherical

The Pittsburgh Steelers shocked many individuals once they didn’t take a quarterback within the first spherical of the draft. That they had their decide of the litter, too, exterior of Cam Ward. Shedeur Sanders, Jaxson Dart, and Tyler Shough had been all on the board at 21. The Steelers introduced all of these gamers in for top-30 visits. Regardless of curiosity being there, Pittsburgh chosen defensive lineman Derrick Harmon. Former NFL quarterback Matt Leinart likes that decide, however he’s nonetheless confused why they didn’t take a quarterback.

“It’s a extremely good decide, however at 21, Shedeur was there, Jaxson Dart was there,” Leinart mentioned Friday on his Throwbacks Present podcast. “I simply don’t know what they’re doing. Adventurous decide.

“They went a strong decide on the d-line to proceed to shore up a Pittsburgh Steelers protection, which is what they’re all the time identified for, however they don’t have a quarterback. I don’t know what they’re doing, and so they don’t have a decide till the third spherical.”

Leinart seemingly isn’t the one one questioning why the Steelers handed on taking a sign caller Thursday night time. It seems like their largest want with Mason Rudolph at present slated to be their starter. Rudolph is a superb backup, however as a starter for a whole season, he leaves a lot to be desired.

Nonetheless, the 2025 quarterback class doesn’t look very sturdy. Each different workforce handed on Sanders within the first spherical too, so it looks like the league doesn’t view him very extremely. The New York Giants traded up for Dart, however he feels extra like a mission than an instantaneous starter. In the meantime, Shough has severe harm considerations.

Reviews indicated that the Steelers like Sanders, however clearly, they didn’t worth him greater than they did Harmon. The reality is that any quarterback they may’ve taken seemingly would’ve been a attain. The final time the Steelers did that, they ended up with Kenny Pickett.

The Steelers might nonetheless draft a quarterback. In reality, that appears seemingly with six rounds left within the draft. It felt unlikely that any rookie was going to beat out Rudolph for the Week 1 job. Sanders might need had an opportunity, however line of defense was additionally an enormous want for Pittsburgh. Like Leinart says, Harmon is an efficient participant. The Steelers are a greater workforce after Spherical 1 than they had been earlier than it.

Who is aware of, perhaps Sanders will fall to their decide within the third spherical. That would supply somewhat extra readability on their future underneath middle. It’s most likely just a bit early to actually criticize them, although. In the event that they depart the draft with out choosing a quarterback in any respect, perhaps this dialog ought to be revisited. Till then, the Steelers might have a plan in place. Followers ought to discover out quickly, hopefully.