Why the Pittsburgh Steelers must take a chance on Shedeur Sanders and end his draft-day fall

Once projected as a top prospect by many NFL evaluators, Shedeur Sanders now finds himself caught in a dramatic draft-day freefall.

With each passing pick, the drama around Sanders only grows louder. Now, all eyes are on which team will finally pull the trigger and draft him on Day 3.

The Pittsburgh Steelers make sense as a landing spot above all other teams, and the Colorado product spoke glowingly of his pre-draft visit with the team.

With Russell Wilson and Justin Fields now gone, the Steelers have arguably the weakest quarterback room in the league.

Re-signing Mason Rudolph offered a familiar face, but he's hardly the answer for a team with playoff aspirations. He lacks decisiveness, often struggles to locate open receivers, and, with an 84.7 career quarterback rating, is more suited to backup duties.

Steelers owner and president   Art Rooney II remains optimistic about securing Aaron Rodgers' signature , but at 41 years old, the four-time MVP is hardly the long-term answer.

Offensive coordinator Arthur Smith has built a play-action-heavy scheme, which Sanders has limited experience with. However, Pittsburgh’s strong emphasis on the run game would help ease the transition and take some pressure off him.

Mike Tomlin's commanding presence and experience managing big personalities could be precisely what Shedeur Sanders needs. Few coaches are better equipped to shield a young quarterback from outside noise as he develops behind the scenes.

Watch the NFL draft live and for free on DAZN

The 2025 NFL Draft continues until Saturday, April 26. 

This year's NFL Draft will be available to watch for free on NFL Game Pass on DAZN (excluding the US and China).

For more information and to watch for free,  click here .

NFL Draft schedule

• Round 1  : Thursday, April 24 (8pm ET / 1am BST)
• Rounds 2 and 3 : Friday, April 25 (6pm ET / 11pm BST)
• Rounds 4-7 : Saturday, April 26 (12pm ET / 5pm BST)