Surprise NFL Draft Invite Starts Steelers Rumors

There is no story more harrowing on draft night than that of the anxious prospect waiting to hear their name called from the green room. The venue grows less crowded, the picks get less lucrative, and the spotlight gets brighter.

Showing up to the NFL Draft and waiting until Day 2 to hear one’s name called is a nightmare scenario for many top prospects. Subsequently, fewer players have shown up in recent years, opting to ride the Thursday night out with their friends and family without the spectacle.

As much as the NFL would love to have each team’s first-round pick holding a jersey with the Commissioner, they’ve been kind enough to largely invite prospects who are thought of as having a legitimately strong chance to go in Round 1.

That’s what made Sunday’s news (per Dane Brugler) that Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe had booked his trip to Green Bay for the late-April festivities so surprising.

Pittsburgh Steelers rumors are spreading after the quarterback accepted his draft invite. As one of the few teams outside of the top 10 who need a quarterback, Milroe had long been listed as a Day 2 option for Pittsburgh.

Naturally, Milroe accepting his invite makes one think that the league is higher than the media on the quarterback and that either the Steelers or a team trading back into the first round will roll the dice on him. The New York Giants or Cleveland Browns, should they not take Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders in the top three, both make sense for that kind of maneuver.

To pump the brakes, it’s still entirely possible Milroe slips past Day 1. Malik Willis, another toolsy project of a prospect, was invited to the draft in 2022 and subsequently drafted in the second round by the Tennessee Titans. Milroe might simply want his moment on stage, whenever it may be!

Nevertheless, Milroe makes sense for Pittsburgh, even if he’s a better investment in Round 2 with less risk. He’s a freak athlete – the kind that might change positions if playing quarterback doesn’t work out – with top-end arm strength and unique instincts as a ball carrier. There are wrinkles to iron out, largely revolving around the quick game and working through progressions in the pocket.

Paired with a veteran signing (as Aaron Rodgers mulls over his decision), redshirting Milroe before unleashing him with a playoff-ready roster is an intriguing plan that could very well play out in Round 1, especially after Sunday’s news.