2025 Cheez-It Citrus Bowl - Texas v Michigan
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ORLANDO, FLORIDA - DECEMBER 31: Arch Manning #16 of the Texas Longhorns warms up before the 2025 Cheez-It Citrus Bowl between the Texas Longhorns and Michigan Wolverines at Camping World Stadium on December 31, 2025 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Dustin Markland/Getty Images)
Aaron Rodgers is settled in as the Pittsburgh Steelers‘ quarterback for the 2026 season, but the future isn’t nearly as clear at the position.
The Steelers have drafted quarterbacks in each of the last two drafts, selecting Will Howard in 2025 and Drew Allar in 2026. Neither, however, was viewed as a franchise-altering selection.
That could change in 2027.
One of the latest mock drafts from Pro Football Network has the Steelers making arguably the biggest move of the draft, landing Texas quarterback Arch Manning as Rodgers’ eventual successor.
Steelers Projected to Make Massive Trade for Arch Manning
It’s not surprising to see Pittsburgh linked to a quarterback.
What’s surprising is how Pro Football Network’s Jacob Infante has them getting one.
Rather than naturally landing near the top of the draft order, Infante projects the Steelers to aggressively trade up from No. 14 overall to No. 2 overall in a blockbuster deal with the Miami Dolphins.
That move would put Pittsburgh in position to select Manning, who is widely expected to be one of the top prospects in the 2027 NFL Draft class.
“Since the Kenny Pickett experiment failed, the Pittsburgh Steelers have rotated veteran reclamation projects at quarterback like Russell Wilson, Justin Fields, and Aaron Rodgers,” Infante wrote. “None of them have been able to get them over the hump of winning a playoff game, which is something the Steelers haven’t done since 2016.”
The projected trade wouldn’t come cheap.
Infante believes Pittsburgh’s expected stockpile of draft capital could allow them to make the move.
“The Steelers have been stuck in NFL purgatory for a decade now with no real direction for the future. Sooner or later, they’ll have to make a splash for a young quarterback. Being projected to miss the playoffs in 2026, Pittsburgh starts its rebuild by trading key defenders for draft capital, while trading a haul headlined by multiple first-round picks to the Dolphins to acquire their quarterback of the future.”
If it actually happened, it would instantly become one of the biggest draft-day trades in NFL history and signal a dramatic shift in Pittsburgh’s long-term plans.
Arch Manning Continues Climbing Draft Boards
Manning has been viewed as a future first-round pick for quite some time.
Even before deciding to return to Texas for another season, he was projected by many analysts as a potential top selection in the 2026 draft class. Instead, Manning elected to stay in Austin and continue his development.
The upcoming season will be his third with the Longhorns and his second as the full-time starter. Despite all of the hype surrounding his name, Manning still has just 15 career starts under his belt.
That hasn’t stopped draft analysts from viewing him as one of the premier quarterback prospects in college football.
What’s different about Infante’s projection is the team attached to Manning.
The Steelers have been linked to numerous quarterbacks over the past several years, but this is one of the first major projections placing Manning in Pittsburgh, especially via a trade all the way up to No. 2 overall.
Should that scenario somehow come to fruition, it would also mark the first time the Steelers have made a selection at No. 2 overall since 1957, when they used the pick on Lee Dawson.