With the NFL Draft less than one week away, predicting where the top quarterbacks in this class will be selected is pretty tough.
One of the league’s most quarterback-needy teams, the Pittsburgh Steelers, won’t be on the clock until well into the night on Thursday, as they own the No. 21 overall pick after a playoff appearance last season.
But after moving on from Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, the only quarterbacks on Pittsburgh’s roster are Skylar Thompson and Mason Rudolph. Surely, the Steelers are going to continue to play the waiting game for Aaron Rodgers to make up his mind in free agency.
But a 41-year-old Rodgers, a journeyman backup in Rudolph, and a practice squad candidate in Thompson is a subpar room any way you slice it.
According to beat reporter Gerry Dulac, Pittsburgh’s brass has a first-round grade on Jaxson Dart, a prospect who hasn’t received the glitz and glamour of top quarterbacks Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward, but a player who has quietly climbed up draft boards nationally.
“They have a first-round grade on Jaxson Dart,” Dulac said on The Rich Eisen Show. “And they really like Shedeur Sanders.”
It’s interesting to hear Dart’s name mentioned above Sanders, who at one point seemed like a lock to be a top-five selection, but has seemingly tumbled in mock drafts as the NFL Draft has grown closer.
Top draft analyst Todd McShay recently predicted that Dart would be drafted in front of Sanders, which would be a massive surprise.
Keep in mind that Dart rejected his invitation to attend the NFL Draft from the green room in Green Bay. Typically, players without a guarantee to be selected in the first round will choose to watch from home. While the broadcast would love the drama of a prospect sliding like Lamar Jackson did in 2018, it’s typically safer for the player to just watch from the comfort of their own home.
But Dart won’t be attending after initially committing to be in person. Sanders won’t be there, either.
The Steelers have done their homework on just about every top quarterback prospect in this class. Traditionally, drafting all the way back in the 20s was a death sentence for a team that needed a quarterback. But this year? It seems like at least one of these top QBs will slide.
Dart is just 21 years old and threw for more than 4,000 yards during his final season at Ole Miss. Perhaps he could sit and learn from Rodgers for one season before putting his own big arm to the test in 2026.
