Steelers May Have Passed On Future Star Quarterback As Shown By New Statistic

The Pittsburgh Steelers are entering yet another year of quarterback purgatory, where they have no long-term option on the team and nothing but question marks in the position group. The organization is waiting patiently for another big question mark to make his decision regarding his future, as the Aaron Rodgers saga is still ongoing with no end in sight. Maybe the team can use their healthy draft capital to finally draft a franchise passer in the first round in 2026; but for now, it's just another year of the same storylines in Pittsburgh. 

Even though the Steelers were not big fans of the 2025 quarterback class in the draft, they may have made one fatal flaw. In Joe Starkey's recent mailbag on Tuesday, a fan pointed out that prospect Jaxson Dart is the first player ever to score a 100 on the Star-Predictor Score (SPS).

"Well, I didn’t know what the SPS test was until your question arrived, Dr pa, but I must admit: It opened my eyes," said Starkey. "Don’t get me wrong. I still don’t know exactly what it is, other than a series of metrics that are designed to predict a quarterback’s fantasy football success (which equates to real success, obviously). The site brainyballers.com came up with it, and while you'd need an advanced degree in nuclear physics to understand the metrics, here is what stood out: It has predicted great quarterbacks."

Starkey is not wrong. He showed the top SPS scores of all-time, and there is some very good company for Dart in that list.

"The top SPS scores of all-time: Jaxson Dart - 100. Lamar Jackson - 99. Jalen Hurts - 99. Ben Roethlisberger - 98. Patrick Mahomes - 96. Deshaun Watson - 96. Cam Newton - 95. Josh Allen - 93. Kyler Murray - 93. Drew Brees - 92," explained Starkey."

If this SPS score is truly as accurate as this list claims it is, then the New York Giants got an absolute steal when they traded back into the first round to draft Dart. With a score like that, he could be a future Hall of Famer as long as he still does what he needs to and the Giants give him some help in the receiver room -- and along the offensive line. 

The Steelers reportedly had a first-round grade on Dart during the pre-draft process, but they instead opted to fill a big need with a value pick by selecting Derrick Harmon with the 21st overall pick in the draft. He should still be a great player if he stays healthy, but that won't mean much if Dart turns out to be a great quarterback. If he struggles, then no one will fault Pittsburgh for going with defensive tackle first. 

Steelers May Need To Upgrade Analytics Department To Help With SPS

The Steelers are known for running a bare-bones operation, and their players don't really enjoy analytics either. While some teams may use it too much, there is still plenty of good that can come from these advanced numbers. It never hurts to find another way to make your team better, and the team needs to invest a little more to help out there.

As Starkey mentions, the SPS test is very complicated. It's shocking that a quarterback that was seen as the second or third-best in a very weak draft class would be the first one to ever have a perfect score. If it works, then it works. Dart still has a long road ahead before he can even be considered a candidate for the Hall of Fame, and the SPS doesn't tell the whole story.

There's always more to analytics than just staring at numbers; teams need to understand what they mean and how that became a thing in the first place. If the Steelers can figure out the formula to get to this score, they can accurately predict who would be the best quarterback available for them, and they can then get out of quarterback purgatory, finally.