Even after drafting Drew Allar in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers could still be in the market for a quarterback in the 2027 NFL Draft. It’s a draft that looks talent-rich at quarterback as things stand right now, and The Athletic’s Nick Baumgardner broke the talent down into tiers.
In a draft that has the potential for five or more quarterbacks to go in the first round, Baumgardner has six quarterbacks in tier one. Texas’s Arch Manning, Oregon’s Dante Moore, Oklahoma State’s Drew Mestemaker, Notre Dame’s CJ Carr, Ohio State’s Julian Sayin and USC’s Jayden Maiava all compose the top tier.
It’s important to note that just because a player is listed here doesn’t make them a lock to declare. Moore, for example, surprised many with his decision to return to Oregon this year despite being the projected No. 2 pick in the draft for much of the pre-draft process. But with so many tier one quarterbacks, the draft is looking to be talent-rich at the game’s most important position.
Baumgardner put Texas Tech QB Brendan Sorsby in Tier 2, a tier of his own. Sorsby was a projected first-round pick until an investigation into his gambling commenced. While Sorsby did get an injunction allowing him to play this season following a two-game suspension, he’s a player who could fall further than initially expected due to off-the-field red flags. He’ll need to put together a really strong season on the field to stay in first-round consideration.
Baumgardner’s final tier, Tier 3, consisted of LSU’s Sam Leavitt, Miami’s Darian Mensah, Ole Miss’ Trinidad Chambliss and South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers. Chambliss had legitimate first-round buzz if his case to return to Ole Miss failed, and the fact that he’s in Tier 3 shows the strength of this quarterback class. Sellers and Leavitt also had first-round buzz prior to the 2025 season, but uneven performances led to both returning to school.
It would be a surprise if the Steelers were drafting in the top half of the first round, which limits their opportunities to potentially grab a true game-changer at quarterback. Things are always subject to change, but right now, the talent level in this class still means the Steelers could draft a first-round quarterback, given that there are 11 players within the top three tiers and the third tier is full of players who have first-round talent.
In an ideal world, Allar and/or Will Howard develop enough to the point the Steelers don’t need to take another shot at a quarterback. But in a talent-rich class, it’s a real possibility, and it’s worth noting just how many potential options the team has.
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