The Pittsburgh Steelers chosen Oregon DL Derrick Harmon within the first spherical of the 2025 NFL Draft, however earlier than the Steelers made their choose, ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. made his case for the staff taking QB Shedeur Sanders. Kiper believes that the Steelers don’t have a great alternative to usher in a younger quarterback, and that taking Sanders might’ve helped them compete within the quarterback-rich AFC.
“This group has not received a playoff sport in 9 years. Haven’t had any shedding seasons in a very long time, 21, however they haven’t received a playoff sport in 9 years. On this division with [Joe] Burrow and Lamar [Jackson] and the AFC loaded with nice quarterbacks, and you’ve got Mason Rudolph and there’s Shedeur sitting there and you haven’t any second-round choose, the place’s the younger quarterback coming in…if I’m Pittsburgh, Shedeur Sanders, to go on him at this stage, choose 21, come on,” Kiper stated on the ESPN broadcast by way of Terrible Asserting.
After the choice, Kiper ranted about groups letting “conventional drop-back passers” fall within the draft, going way back to 1955 when mentioning that the Steelers launched Johnny Unitas.
In an article after the draft, Kiper once more questioned the Steelers’ deciding on Harmon over Sanders.
“Who’s going to play quarterback in Pittsburgh? If the Steelers signal Aaron Rodgers, that is much less of a problem. He would at the least give them a 2025 starter. However I had situation with the Saints passing on Shedeur Sanders, so I’ve to level out the Steelers doing the identical 12 picks later. Plus, Pittsburgh doesn’t have a second-round choose, which means it is going to be an extended wait till No. 83 on Friday night time,” Kiper wrote. “But when they don’t signal Rodgers, they usually don’t get fortunate with the Day 2 quarterbacks, we’re going to be inspecting this choose all season lengthy.”
Kiper was increased than most on Sanders forward of the draft, rating him No. 5 on his large board and praising his toughness and resiliency. NFL groups didn’t agree, as Sanders fell out of the primary spherical. Whereas there was reportedly some inside debate earlier this week inside the Steelers on whether or not or to not choose Sanders, the staff opted to deal with defensive position, which was lengthy considered the place it could goal with its first-round choose.
After the Harmon choice, Kiper praised the choose on the ESPN broadcast and stated Harmon is somebody who can study underneath Cameron Heyward.
“You watch him guys, he can get into the backfield. Performs a bit excessive, however he’s a man that may study from Cam Heyward. Having a man that may possibly be the inheritor obvious to Cam Heyward towards the quarterback Shedeur Sanders, they opted for Derrick Harmon, as a result of they love the truth that he will be that subsequent man to take over for Cam Heyward.”
Passing on Sanders can definitely be questioned. The Steelers don’t have a long-term quarterback plan in place, and even when they signal Rodgers, they’ll be hitching their wagon to a 41-year-old quarterback. Sanders would’ve at the least represented somebody who has the potential to be a long-term reply on the place, however the worth of including a defensive lineman who suits their scheme effectively and might help within the brief time period whereas additionally being an eventual Heyward substitute was too good to go up.
The Steelers clearly weren’t alone in passing on Sanders, however they do have one of many worst quarterback conditions within the league, in order that they had been a pure touchdown spot. However Pittsburgh allowed 299 speeding yards in its Wild Card Spherical playoff loss to the Baltimore Ravens and the run protection as an entire was inconsistent at instances final season. The Steelers additionally launched Larry Ogunjobi and didn’t add a ready-made starter in free company, and Harmon provides them a long-term constructing block at a helpful place.
Passing on Sanders for Harmon isn’t a choice that may be judged in a vacuum, and it is going to be years earlier than we’ll really know if the Steelers made the best alternative or not. There’s no situation with Kiper’s logic, however the truth that he views Shedeur Sanders extra favorably than most definitely performed a component in his considering that Pittsburgh ought to’ve chosen him. The Steelers nonetheless have a query mark at quarterback, however they added a participant they beloved all through the pre-draft course of and somebody who can step in and fill the 36-year-old Heyward’s sneakers when he decides to hold them up.
