Why Cameron Heyward knew Steelers would draft Derrick Harmon over a QB

It was somewhat surprising when the Pittsburgh Steelers selected Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon instead of a quarterback with the 21st overall pick of the 2025 NFL Draft. 

Per Josh Carney of Steelers Depot, Harmon admitted during the latest edition of the "Not Just Football with Cam Heyward" podcast that he thought Pittsburgh would take a signal-caller in the draft's first round. However, it appears the longtime Steelers defensive lineman and team captain had some inside information about the club's plans before Harmon officially became a member of the Steelers. 

"I knew," Heyward told Harmon about the Steelers passing on a quarterback at selection No. 21. "They were talking to me. They were like, 'They like this one,' and so it was if you [were] going to be available to us, and I knew we weren't taking a quarterback."

The Steelers' handling of their quarterback situation has been the biggest story hovering over the organization since its wild-card playoff loss to the Baltimore Ravens in January. Pittsburgh let Russell Wilson and Justin Fields leave via free agency before the club headed into the draft with longtime backup Mason Rudolph penciled in as its QB1. While mock drafts had linked the Steelers with quarterback prospects such as Colorado's Shedeur Sanders, Alabama's Jalen Milroe and Ole Miss' Jaxson Dart, it seems Harmon was always Pittsburgh's target regarding the 21st pick. 

Later in the draft, the Steelers passed on Milroe and Sanders in the third round before Pittsburgh selected Ohio State pass-rusher Jack Sawyer over Sanders at choice No. 123. The Steelers have since been criticized for not taking a flier on Sanders in the fourth round and instead waiting until the sixth round to grab Ohio State's Will Howard.

The Steelers' known desire for Aaron Rodgers to serve as their 2025 Week 1 starter shouldn't have prevented them from taking a quarterback in the first round of this year's draft, considering Rodgers turns 42 years old this coming December. If Dart becomes a star for the New York Giants after they traded up to get him at pick No. 25, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin may regret bolstering his defensive line via the first round of this year's player-selection process.