Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders has been widely linked to more than a half-dozen NFL teams ahead of the draft, which is now just a single day away.
Shedeur Sanders is heavily expected to be the second quarterback taken in the 2025 NFL Draft, behind Miami’s Cam Ward. Barring any last-minute surprises, Ward looks poised to go to the Tennessee Titans at No. 1 overall.
At the start of the new year, Sanders was a hot candidate to go first overall. But his stock has dropped considerably, with multiple NFL insiders reporting that he failed to impress some teams in his interviews. Sanders also decided not to throw at the Scouting Combine.
As the Pittsburgh Steelers await a decision from Aaron Rodgers, more and more reports have tied the AFC North club to Sanders. ESPN NFL Nation’s final mock draft even had Shedeur going to the Steelers.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter is now reporting that the Steelers could target Shedeur Sanders in round one, as they previously didn’t expect him to be available at No. 21. Now that it seems like a legitimate possibility, however, the Colorado product could land in Stel City after all:
“Sources said the Steelers had not been planning to draft a quarterback in Round 1, but they also were not expecting Sanders to fall out of top 10. Now, all options seem to be on the table, and they are preparing in case they have the option to draft Sanders.”
With the 21st pick in the ESPN NFL Nation mock draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers select
*drum roll*
Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado https://t.co/UPtM5siDzR pic.twitter.com/48omYde6XB— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) April 22, 2025
Tune into ESPN2 at 3pm for our annual NFL Nation mock draft.
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) April 22, 2025
Who comes off the board at No. 21 for the Pittsburgh Steelers? pic.twitter.com/VXQHO0CzuE
The Steelers gave up their 2025 second-round pick to the Seattle Seahawks in the move for star wide receiver D.K. Metcalf.
On the QB front, Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports reports there’s “realistic buzz” about Mike Tomlin’s group “moving back from 21st to accrue more draft capital and possibly take a quarterback closer to the end of the first round.”
Unless he unexpectedly slides into round two, the mystery of Shedeur Sanders’ landing spot will be decided in one day.
Steelers Would Be A Compelling Landing Spot For Shedeur Sanders
If the Steelers landed Sanders, he’d certainly be set up to succeed long-term. Pittsburgh has a future Hall of Fame head coach in Tomlin, who guided this club to playoff appearances with lackluster quarterback play in 2020, 2021, 2023 and 2024.
Throw in the presence of Metcalf and an elite o-line, and Sanders would be well-suited to become the next big thing in Pittsburgh.
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