When the Pittsburgh Steelers traded away their second-round pick to acquire WR DK Metcalf, they made the offense a much more attractive destination for whoever ends up being the quarterback. But in doing so, they put themselves in an interesting dilemma over the first two days of the draft. Whatever position doesn’t get addressed on day one will have to wait all the way until the third round. If the Steelers happen to like a quarterback, that could put them between a rock and a hard place on draft day.
Former NFL GM and long-time draftnik Mike Mayock joined The Rich Eisen Show on Tuesday to discuss the quarterback draft class and how certain teams should approach it.
“Here’s what I would say about both Jaxson [Dart] and [Tyler] Shough,” Mayock said. “The Giants at three, you got to be in the quarterback business. Last Vegas at six. I mean Mel Kiper had Jaxson Dart going number nine in his most recent mock draft to New Orleans and I find that intriguing and good for Mel because this is my point. If organizationally you feel like that’s your guy, go get him. Don’t wait and hope you get him in the second round.
“Same thing for Pittsburgh at 21. If you want to get Tyler Shough in the second round, don’t sit there and wait for him. Go get him.”
This idea typically divides the room when discussing how teams should go about transition periods between viable starting quarterbacks. Some believe that teams should reach every year until they find the guy and then build around him, while others prefer a more measured approach.
I tend to fall into the latter group. Some very well-respected draft analysts have pegged this as a weak quarterback class from the beginning. Former Senior Bowl director Jim Nagy said that none of these quarterbacks would have been in the top six that ended up going in the first round last year. So why should the Steelers reach all the way up into the first round to take a guy that may have been a third or fourth-round pick just a year ago?
“Philosophically, if you believe a quarterback is your guy, whether the rest of the world thinks he’s a third-round pick or whether or not there’s a perception he can play at that level. If your people in your building go, ‘That’s our guy,’ then why does it matter where you take them,” Mayock said of a conversation he had with former coach Brian Billick.
I would hate for the Steelers to pass on what should be a more talented 2026 QB draft class next year because they invested a first-round pick into the next Kenny Pickett in 2025. I also realize that is the pessimistic way of looking at it.
On the other hand, they can’t achieve greatness without a little risk taking. If they are confident in their evaluation on a certain player, then you really can’t fault them for trying.
Without a second-round pick, the Steelers would be greatly diminishing their chances of getting a long-term replacement for Cameron Heyward if they went with a quarterback in the first round. That is the part that gives me great pause in a draft class that is known for its defensive line talent.
The question is, do the Steelers have that one guy that they are enamored with above the rest? Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac reported that the team has interest in both Jaxson Dart and Will Howard. The team also just had a reported Pro Day dinner with Alabama’s Jalen Milroe. Could one of those three be the Steelers’ first-round pick at the end of April?
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