Insider Reveals Why Steelers Passed on Shedeur Sanders

The Pittsburgh Steelers were rumored to be interested in Shedeur Sanders leading up to the 2025 NFL Draft, evidenced by the fact that they hosted the 23-year-old on a top-30 visit, only to pass on selecting him numerous times.

The Cleveland Browns stopped Sanders' slide by taking him in the fifth round, while Pittsburgh took Will Howard in the sixth round before later signing Aaron Rodgers to put a bow on its quarterback room.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Ray Fittipaldo provided some insight as to why the Steelers opted not to pick Sanders, stating that the organization didn't think super highly of him as a player while also noting the potential influence his father and Colorado head coach, Deion Sanders, may have had down the line.

“I think mostly, it had to do with, they didn't have a grade on him within the first five rounds,” he saidon 93.7 The Fan. "I think the second part of that equation, and this was never really discussed, you’ve seen some leaks with other teams across the NFL.

"Now, a lot of people just didn’t want to deal with Deion Sanders and what that might be down the road after he’s done at Colorado. So, I don’t know if the Steelers felt that same way, but they did not have a top-five grade. A top-five round grade on Shedeur Sanders, and that’s why they went the route they went."

Sanders' fall down the board was one of the more surprising draft developments in recent history given that it once appeared as though he was a lock to go early in the first round.

He's now a member of a rather crowded Browns signal caller contingent that features the likes of former Steelers first-round pick Kenny Pickett, Joe Flacco and fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel, who was chosen in the third round out of Oregon.

Sanders has been cited on two separate occasions for speeding since joining the organization.