Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers were close to selecting Shedeur Sanders in the 2025 Draft according to a report by Jeremy Fowler. However, while awaiting the final decision of Aaron Rodgers, the team ultimately chose to go in another direction.
āThe Steelers were comfortable with Shedeur Sanders as a distributing point guard type, which makes it a mild surprise they didnāt take him with their fourth-round pick. To borrow another basketball analogy, those inside the Steelersā building did not reach a consensus on Sanders as a slam dunk pick. But the debate was close enough to justify taking him.ā
In the end, Sanders was drafted by the Cleveland Browns, while the Steelers addressed the quarterback position in the sixth round with Will Howard. Interestingly, after weeks of rumors, Shedeur was not seen as the player who could turn Pittsburgh into Super Bowl contenders.
Why did the Steelers pass on Shedeur Sanders?
The Steelers passed on Shedeur Sanders because they considered Derrick Harmon to be the top player on their board in the first round. Despite his injuries, Fowler said the Oregon defensive tackle was the name they were targeting.
āLeague personnel evaluators forecasted that defensive tackle Derrick Harmon would go between picks 16 and 30, so the Steelers, at No. 21, got him in the right spot. A shoulder issue might have been the only thing that kept Harmon out of the top 20. His 34 pressures led the FBS among interior defensive linemen.ā
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In the later rounds, Sanders was still available, but the report indicates that there was never a true consensus on bringing the quarterback to the team. Following that path, Tomlin and Omar Khan reinforced other positions and felt comfortable with Will Howard toward the end of the draft.
