Steelers’ Mike Tomlin Speaks out on Top QB Prospect Shedeur Sanders

There have been mixed reports about how the Pittsburgh Steelers, specifically head coach Mike Tomlin, feel about 2025 quarterback prospect Shedeur Sanders. But on Tuesday, Tomlin sounded an awful lot like a coach who likes the former Colorado signal caller.

During his pre-draft press conference, Tomlin was very complimentary of Sanders when discussing the intangibles he will bring to the table for an NFL team.

“There’s a toughness there that doesn’t get talked about enough,” Tomlin said to reporters. “The intangible qualities displayed on tape were very impressive to me.”

The draft projections around Sanders have grown quite polarizing in recent weeks. Some mock draft experts have predicted teams to move up the board to select Sanders in the top 10.

Other experts have projected the Colorado quarterback to fall to the Steelers at No. 21 overall.

Not that Tomlin is wrong about analysts overlooking Sanders’ intangible qualities, but the general concern around Sanders is his ceiling, not necessarily his lack of intangibles.

“Any perceptions that Sanders is a product of Heisman Trophy-winner Travis Hunter’s greatness are slowly dispelled once you hit the tape,” NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein wrote. “He’s seen mixed results under an intensely bright spotlight, but there are no signs his confidence has ever wavered.

“Sanders possesses a baseline of poise, savvy and accuracy, traits that are integral in becoming an NFL starter.

“The tape says he has the necessary qualities to become a solid game manager if he can operate with better discipline and play to his strengths.”

Shedeur Sanders’ Stock Ahead of 2025 NFL Draft

One doesn’t have to look very far to see examples of Sanders’ wide-ranking draft stock.

In a mock draft from SI on Bears’ Alan Goldsher on Monday, Sanders landed with the New York Giants at No. 3 overall. Goldsher projected only Miami quarterback Cam Ward and Sanders’ teammate, Travis Hunter, to go ahead of the Colorado quarterback.

But in an NFL mock draft from Pro Football Network’s Jacob Infante, Sanders “plummeted” to the Steelers at No. 21.

“Whether or not the Pittsburgh Steelers sign Aaron Rodgers, they will need to inevitably draft a quarterback as their heir apparent. Luckily for them, they don’t have to trade up for a top passer in this 2025 NFL Mock Draft,” wrote Infante.

“A smart, accurate quarterback who improved consistently in college, Shedeur Sanders has the tools to start in the NFL. The Steelers have some pieces in place for him to work with, and given their conservative approach to the quarterback position in recent years, Sanders would be a refreshing change of pace.”

If the Steelers are going to land Sanders, he is very likely going to have to fall to them. Steelers general manager Omar Khan stated Tuesday it is a “bigger option” for the team to trade back in the first round then move up.

Obviously, a trade back would decrease Pittsburgh’s chances of landing Sanders while moving up would do the opposite. The Steelers, though, might only consider trading back if Sanders goes off the board early.

Steelers’ Mike Tomlin Addresses Visit With Sanders

In addition to discussing Sanders’ intangibles, Tomlin shared how the pre-draft visit with the quarterback went.

“I’ve obviously known his father for a long time, [but] it was my first time meeting [Shedeur], and to be quite honest with you, we didn’t talk a whole lot about my relationship with his father,” Tomlin told reporters. “It was a normal pre-draft visit, to spend time with a young man, to talk ball, to get to know him as an individual, to get to see how he processes and sees the game and how he articulates his football experience.

“From that standpoint, it was a very normal visit and a very productive one.”

NFL insider Aaron Wilson reported on April 16 that Sanders’ pre-draft visit with the Steelers “did not go well.” However, other analysts have called Sanders a “Mike Tomlin-kind of guy.”

Most notably, NFL draft analyst Todd McShay has said multiple times this offseason that Tomlin likes Sanders.