New NFL Draft Report Reveals Update on Steelers QB Target

The Pittsburgh Steelers are esteemed for their ability to epitomize continuity, churning out elite talents and never bottoming out.

However, they’re currently stuck in quarterback purgatory. Justin Fields and Russell Wilson were good enough to win double-digit games and claim a Wild Card spot, but not enough to end the team’s eight-year-long playoff losing streak.

Unfortunately for Pittsburgh, the point of purgatory is that it’s awfully hard to escape. The Steelers will pick 21st in April’s NFL Draft, barring a trade. That’s out of range for the top passing prospects in most drafts, especially classes like 2025 with two passers largely projected to be top-five picks.

The Steelers don’t seem overly willing to hand the keys to a rookie, either. If they’re adding a quarterback in April, it’s like in the form of a mid-round rookie who will have to prove themselves to be more capable than either Fields or Wilson, one of whom is likely to be re-signed.

A quarterback that might fit that billing is Alabama’s Jalen Milroe. Spending a second-round pick and hoping he hits isn’t foolproof, but it’s a cheaper way for Pittsburgh to access franchise-level upside.

One new report from The Athletic reveals an update on the Steelers draft target, suggesting that other names are probably better fits.

“The Steelers believe Jalen Milroe will be picked well before they’d be comfortable taking that risk,” Mike DeFabo wrote.

DeFabo’s post opens the door for the possibility that Milroe ends up as a Round 1 pick—a risk Pittsburgh isn’t close to taking—or that he is viewed as a lesser prospect not worth taking (presumably) until Day 3.

That isn’t unfair. Milroe has a lot of work to do in the short and intermediate parts of the field and has yet to prove he can consistently operate from the pocket. While the athleticism is incredible and the arm strength will earn him an opportunity under center, his critics will suggest he’s closer to a position change than becoming a franchise quarterback.

If the Steelers—who had to carefully build fragile passing offenses around its quarterbacks in 2024–opts for a more traditional passer, they may be sacrificing upside for the sake of competency. Having churned out decent seasons with less-than-stellar quarterbacking, it’s hard to blame them for not abandoning that kind of floor.

Nevertheless, Pittsburgh should be intrigued by the class’ crop of Day 2 passers. Whether it’s Milroe or a game manager, the Steelers need new blood in the quarterback room and the chance to embrace uncertainty. At this point, getting lucky later in the NFL Draft is the clearest path out of mediocrity.a