The Pittsburgh Steelers are likely going to take a quarterback at some point in the 2025 NFL Draft, and one name they’ve been linked to is Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart. NFL Media’s Daniel Jeremiah mocked Dart to the Steelers in his most recent mock draft, and Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette said Dart is a quarterback the Steelers have interest in. But if Pittsburgh wants to take Dart at No. 21, it may be out of luck.
“I think Jaxson Dart’s in play earlier than that,” ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. said on a conference call with media on Wednesday. “Now, if he’s there, it’s gonna be really interesting. If you love him, you take him.”
Louisville’s Tyler Shough, who the Steelers hosted for a pre-draft visit, is another quarterback Kiper said is rising and could be in play in the first round.
“Wouldn’t shock me now when you’re hearing all this positivity coming out various people’s mouths. Friends in the league, it’s Tyler Shough, Tyler Shough, Tyler Shough. I hear it all the time. Keep an eye on him.”
It would be a bit of a surprise if the Steelers take a quarterback in the first round, given this quarterback class isn’t regarded as a good one. Quarterbacks are traditionally drafted higher though, and if the Steelers do really like Jaxson Dart or Shough, it’s not out of the realm of possibility for them to make a move in the draft.
That chance increases if the team doesn’t have an answer from QB Aaron Rodgers by the draft or if Rodgers signs elsewhere. But even if they take a quarterback in the first round, the Steelers more than likely won’t move up for one, especially after already dealing their 2025 second-round pick for DK Metcalf. If Dart is indeed going within the top 20 picks, he won’t be a Steeler.
The most likely spot for Pittsburgh to take a quarterback is in the third or fourth round, but with the league’s opinion rising on players like Dart and Shough, there might not even be a quarterback worth taking that high. While Kiper said right now he sees Shough going in the second, that would mean the Steelers would have to take him in the first or trade back since they don’t have their second-round pick.
We’ll hopefully have a better sense closer to the draft of what Pittsburgh’s quarterback situation will look like, but unless the team really falls in love with Jaxson Dart or Shough at this point in the process, there’s a good chance that the Steelers might have to wind up looking elsewhere for their quarterback if they don’t take one in the first round.
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