Steelers reportedly don't feel 'forced' to make this QB move despite Aaron Rodgers uncertainty

For the second straight spring, whether or not the Pittsburgh Steelers will have Aaron Rodgers serving as their starting quarterback is the biggest story hovering over the organization ahead of the NFL Draft. 

It was previously thought that the Steelers wanted Rodgers to confirm his plans before the draft gets underway in Pittsburgh on April 23 so that those within the club would know whether or not spending a high-value pick on a quarterback, such as Ty Simpson of the Alabama Crimson Tide, needed to be on the table. 

It appears that isn't necessarily the case. 

Is Aaron Rodgers impacting the Steelers' draft plans?

ESPN's Matt Miller shared what he has recently heard about the Steelers regarding the draft. 

"The Steelers might not have a clear-cut quarterback of the future on the roster, but one internal source said that they won't be forced to draft one this year," Miller wrote. "That source noted Pittsburgh will play the board first and that Will Howard, last year's sixth-round pick, has fans in the front office."

In March, new Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy insisted that he would have selected Howard before the sixth round of the 2025 draft had McCarthy been employed by a team at that time. That said, Howard took no in-game snaps during his rookie season after he suffered a hand injury last summer. Thus, it's assumed that longtime backup Mason Rudolph is currently Pittsburgh's QB1 with Rodgers unsigned.

When could Steelers target a quarterback during the draft? 

"McCarthy and the scouting staff have been doing their homework on several prospects in the quarterback class, including Carson Beck (Miami), Drew Allar (Penn State) and Garrett Nussmeier (LSU)," ESPN's Brooke Pryor added about the Steelers. "Both McCarthy and GM Omar Khan have been transparent about their signal-caller wish list: long arms, big hands and a knack for thriving in the cold weather." 

At least one unnamed NFL coordinator has Allar rated as the QB2 of this year's draft class. However, ESPN's Ben Solak is among those who think Allar could fall to the draft's fourth round.