Insider expands on why Steelers passed on Shedeur Sanders during draft

Whispers emerged ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft suggesting that individuals within the Pittsburgh Steelers were split on whether or not the club should acquire Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders. 

In the end, Pittsburgh passed on Sanders multiple times and then took a flier on Ohio State prospect Will Howard in the sixth round.

For an article published on Wednesday, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler expanded on why the Steelers didn't grab Sanders as the polarizing prospect plummeted down the draft order. 

"The Steelers were comfortable with Shedeur Sanders as a distributing point guard type, which makes it a mild surprise they didn't take him with their fourth-round pick," Fowler explained. "To borrow another basketball analogy, those inside the Steelers' building did not reach a consensus on Sanders as a slam dunk pick. But the debate was close enough to justify taking him."

The Steelers entered the draft with longtime backup Mason Rudolph and possible cut-day casualty Skylar Thompson on the roster. Pittsburgh may soon sign Aaron Rodgers to serve as its temporary QB1, but he turns 42 years old in December and could retire next offseason. 

It's far too early to know what Howard will or won't be as a pro, but it seems unlikely a sixth-round pick will become much more than a serviceable NFL backup. While numerous college coaches, defensive coordinators and analysts viewed Sanders as the better prospect, Steelers insider Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is among those who believe the club would've taken Howard even if Sanders was available at pick No. 185.

Interestingly, an NFC personnel executive recently told Ralph Vacchiano of Fox Sports that teams such as the Steelers may have believed that Sanders, the son of Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, wouldn't be able to "blend into the background" as an unused QB3. That likely wouldn't have been an issue for a Steelers team led by Rodgers, as he routinely attracted attention during his New York Jets tenure via his weekly appearances on "The Pat McAfee Show."

The Steelers and 30 other teams didn't stop the Cleveland Browns from trading up to get Sanders at pick No. 144. It remains to be seen if Sanders will torture Pittsburgh as a long-term division rival or simply become one of many forgotten Cleveland quarterbacks.