The 2025 NFL Draft is inching closer, and suddenly, Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders is on Pittsburgh’s radar. Could the once-projected top-10 pick really fall to No. 21, or is that discussion another victim of tired draft talking points?
In this week’s Read & React, Ryan and Ryland take a look at the Steelers’ best options at quarterback if the team does indeed select that position in the first round. Plus, a look at Keeanu Benton’s 2024:
If the Steelers have to take a quarterback at pick 21, and you had your pick, would you select Shedeur Sanders, Jaxson Dart, or Jalen Milroe?
Photo by Andrew Wevers/Getty Images
RP: While I don’t think either Ryland or I would prefer to use pick 21 on this particular crop of quarterbacks, the Steelers have been doing their homework on quarterbacks. That included bringing in Dart and Sanders for pre-draft visits and taking Jalen Milroe and a few of his Alabama teammates out to dinner around the time of Alabama’s pro day.
Maybe this is all an elaborate smoke screen to obscure who they really want, or perhaps it’s an act meant to entice other teams to trade up. Pittsburgh would benefit from a trade back and several of the prospects they’ve brought in are projected as fringe first round prospects, meaning they could be available early on Day 2 if a team like the Giants decides it wants to trade back into the first.
But, it could also be genuine smoke. We all know the Steelers are desperately in need of their next franchise guy. While fans may view drafting Kenny Pickett in 2022 as a cautionary tale, would any of us be surprised if the team took a different lesson from that experience?
If pushed to pick one of these three quarterbacks, my decision would come down to how the Aaron Rodgers situation plays out. While I don’t think Rodgers signing should prevent the Steelers from drafting a quarterback if they truly believe in them — having Rodgers around changes who I would take.
I’ll start by eliminating Jaxson Dart from the equation. I’m out. I could be swayed into Dart if the cost was lower, but at 21 I just can’t do it. A first round quarterback needs to be a high level processor or a freak athlete, and Dart is neither.
Mississippi’s offense doesn’t ask much of the quarterback compared to others. In Lane Kiffin’s offense, the quarterback is responsible for making a pre-snap read to determine who has the best matchup. If that look changes after the snap or fails to get open, Dart was given the green light to take off or improvise. It just isn’t an offense that translates well to the next level and we’ve seen it crash and burn before. Right or wrong, Dart’s pre-draft cycle is giving me Zach Wilson flashbacks, and I don’t think Arthur Smith’s offense will be the best fit for him.
That leaves Sanders or Milroe.
To me, Sanders is the play if Rodgers pulls the rug out from under the Steelers. Sanders has the higher floor, but his athletic traits also limit his ceiling. Sanders has put on tape the ability to read a defense and progress through his route progressions in a timely manner, but his arm strength is average, as is his mobility. Neither should be prohibitive to NFL success, but they’re also hard to get too excited about.
What makes him a difficult evaluation were his surroundings.
Did he take a lot of sacks because his offensive line was bad or because he played too much hero ball? Did he play too much hero ball because of bad decision making or because his coaching staff didn’t provide him many answers when the first read wasn’t there? Did Colorado run a lot of plays near the line of scrimmage because that’s all Sanders could handle or because that’s all the offensive line could give him time for? Is it weird that he’s really only played for his Hall of Fame father?
These are all valid questions. I tend to think Sanders is the most pro ready of our three options, but I still view him as a second-round talent. If Rodgers leaves Pittsburgh high and dry, Sanders should be able to compete with Mason Rudolph for the starting spot. If Sanders is the pick, the Steelers should be incentivized to see what they have as soon as possible. If it works out, we’re happy. If not, move on and try again in 2026.
However, if Rodgers does sign, Jalen Milroe would be the pick for me. I can already hear the angry typing in the comment section, but hear me out.
I’ve been around this site long enough and talked with enough Steelers fans to know there is a decent amount of fans who lament the Steelers passing on Lamar Jackson in 2018. While I don’t want to imply that Milroe is the same player as Jackson, they do have some similar qualities. Jackson was more advanced as a passer coming out than Milroe is currently, but Jackson’s accuracy and processing were heavily debated in NFL circles. And while Milroe isn’t as elusive of a runner as Jackson, his unofficial 4.37 40-time would make him one of the league’s fastest. A year ago, I questioned if Jayden Daniels’ running style would play at the NFL level, and how did that turn out? Again, Daniels was lightyears ahead of Milroe as a passer, but you can see the vision.
Milroe at 21 would be hard to stomach, but I’d rather bet on special traits in the first round if forced to pick a quarterback. Milroe has that with his mobility. I don’t believe Sanders or Dart have any comparable traits in their toolbag.
If Milroe was allowed to sit a year and was utilized in some short yardage situations like the Steelers had Justin Fields run towards the end of the season, I’d feel a lot better about it. Get him in the building and see if you can develop his accuracy. He already throws one of the better deep balls in this class, why not see if you can develop his touch in the short to intermediate areas? It’s not likely, but I’d rather go down betting on special traits than higher floors, and for what it’s worth Milroe is regarded as a smart player. He won the “academic Heisman” with a 3.52 GPA and his Alabama coaches have spoken highly of his character and leadership during this cycle. That doesn’t guarantee success, of course, but it’s still good to hear.
If the Steelers do end up picking a quarterback, my hope is that they are honest with themselves moving forward. Picking out of desperation is not a recipe for success. Neither is sticking with a quarterback who doesn’t have the goods just because you picked him high. If I’m the Steelers, I’d be open to drafting a quarterback again in 2026 and beyond until they’re certain they’ve found their guy.
RB: I’m more or less in agreement with Ryan on all points here. In terms of physical traits, I’d rank the three quarterbacks Milroe, Dart, and Sanders from first to last; then reverse those rankings when it comes to the finer details of quarterbacking and NFL-readiness.
Still, after watching all three passers more in-depth ahead of this article, I came away confident in my evaluation that none of the three have first-round grades.
But I can’t answer “none” here, can I?
If that’s the case, I’d agree with Ryan that I have a very hard time drafting Dart in the first round. He’s bigger and more athletic than Sanders with a better arm, but he still lacks any true standout traits and played in an offensive system that will make his NFL transition difficult. A clear Day 2 talent, in my opinion.
I was pretty sure heading into this question that I’d answer Sanders, but I’ve been working on my draft profile of him and have become a bit disillusioned with his upside. It’s true that he’s accurate and efficient in the short and intermediate passing game, but his arm talent and mobility are far from what you like to see in the first round. Plus, some painful pocket habits limit the stuff he’s good at already.
A lot of NFL analysts who I respect see Sanders’ realistic ceiling as a good-not-great NFL starter, and I have the same takeaway. You can win games with that, but the NFL is a league driven by star quarterbacks. I think a first-round pick at that position needs to have some elite abilities.
Milroe has the latter in spades. High-level arm strength. Special athlete. Still not that great at quarterback. Armchair GM Ryland, through gritted teeth, says this is the pick if it has to be one of those three quarterbacks in the first round. Might as well bet on sky-high potential, even if the bust potential is beyond high.
But if I’m actually a GM here, I’m probably going with Sanders. I don’t want to get fired, and Sanders has the best chance at actually turning into a solid starter of the three — and we’ve seen good rosters take quarterbacks in that category to big games.
Sanders would not be a horrible pick at No. 21, and at the end of the day, you can’t fault a team that doesn’t have a long-term solution at quarterback for trying to find one. Maybe he cleans up his pocket habits, hones his processing, and becomes a lethal distributor of the football in the NFL. But that can be said of quarterbacks in every draft class.
Also, Sanders is a questionable fit in Pittsburgh’s offense, which ostensibly wants vertical shots downfield, outside the numbers; Sanders is at his best picking defenses apart with short passes in the middle of the field.
Frankly, I like Louisville quarterback Tyler Shough’s tape more than Dart, Sanders, or Milroe’s, but with his age, injury history, and lack of production, I’m staunchly against a first round pick for the soon-to-be 26-year-old, either.
For the time being, Sanders remains my QB2. But I don’t think the Steelers should start thinking about a dice roll at the position until Day 2 or later.
Steelers in review: DT Keeanu Benton
Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images
Welcome to R&R’s newest segment: Steelers in Review. The need to keep an accurate view of last season can get lost in the news cycle of free agency and the draft. As a result, we’ll be looking at one Steeler’s 2024 season in each segment, noting where they succeeded, where they struggled, and what they’ll bring to the roster in 2025. This week, we’ll be looking at defensive lineman Keeanu Benton.
RB: When Benton was drafted in the second round in 2023, he was a draft darling for many, including myself. Following a modest rookie year, the hope was Benton would take a big step forward in 2024 with Cam Heyward continuing to get older and Larry Ogunjobi clearly not a long-term piece.
However, while Benton didn’t suffer a clear sophomore slump in 2024, he certainly didn’t show major improvement, putting up stats identical to his rookie season with 16 solo tackles, 20 assists, and one sack. Entering 2025, Heyward is one year older despite still playing at a high level, and Ogunjobi is off the roster. Defensive line is the most popular draft need among Steelers fans.
Often described as a defensive end miscast as a nose tackle in the Steelers scheme, Benton is seen as a player who still has a good bit of upside if given the chance to succeed. However, while he did play 202 snaps at nose tackle in 2024 per PFF, his other 460 were elsewhere on the D-line — he could be used better, but he wasn’t exactly a fish out of water in 2024.
As usual, Ryan and I will be splitting up the analysis. I’ll start off by looking at Benton’s work as a pass rusher.
The first game of his I watched was Week 5 versus Dallas, where his first snap showed off a wicked club move to speed by the Cowboys’ center. Benton’s hand usage and placement are still a work in progress, but there’s no doubting his powerful upper half.
Benton won quickly with that move once or twice a game, but the rest of his pass-rushing snaps were significantly less exciting. He simply doesn’t have a great arsenal of moves, and was stalled on a disappointing number of one-on-ones in the games I watched.
That’ll be something that Benton needs to continue to hone; the good news is he’s only 23 years old and I’m willing to be his best and most complete football is still down the road.
Benton’s play strength is far from a concern, as I’m sure Ryan will touch on in the run defense section below. However, he doesn’t win with power much and doesn’t push the pocket consistently as a rusher. Often, he just gets moved laterally and doesn’t apply any pressure on the quarterback. Some of it has to do with how his first step off the line could be consistently quicker, which would better convert speed to power.
However, there are some reps scattered throughout the season that show off a bull rush with some upside.
Still, he gets controlled by offensive linemen far too often and has a difficult time overall shedding blocks.
Benton just isn’t a great penetrating defensive lineman at this point in his career, but he is very mobile for his size and was often used to contain quarterbacks in the pocket, sometimes operating in a sort of “spy” role. For the most part, he was successful in that aspect of his game, moving laterally to cut off escape routes, even if Patrick Mahomes still found ways to succeed with last-second passes in Week 17:
That athleticism also makes him a capable contributor on stunts.
One part of Benton’s game that clearly shows the influence of Cam Heyward is his production batting down passes. Benton recorded an impressive six passes defensed in 2024, and in just about every pass-rush rep where he doesn’t get home, you can see him put his hands up in the air.
The last thing I’ll point out is Benton’s persistence; motor is not an issue and he consistently worked to chase down screens and continue to rush late in plays:
Benton is still growing into his role as a pass rusher, but he has all the physical tools to continue to trend in the right direction. He’s a solid starter right now but not a difference-maker up front.
Ryan, what did you see from Benton against the run? And how does his trajectory affect the Steelers’ roster need at D-line?
RP: There are some common themes in both phases for Benton. I’m reminded of our review of Troy Fautanu in that there are very few plays where I think Benton is getting bullied or losing badly. For this review, I first used NFL Pro to filter plays where he was on the field for a Steelers run stuff. That gave me an idea of his role in run defense when they were working their best. I then went and watched the run defense snaps of his worst graded game for run defense, the first game against Cleveland.
When he’s playing at his best, Benton is able to take on doubles to clear up his teammates and plug gaps. He wasn’t always a true 0-tech nose tackle, there are times the Steelers would have him line up in 1-tech or 2i.
The job of an IDL isn't always going to get you noticed in the box score. Maintaining your gap control and freeing up the teammates is hard to quantify. While I wouldn't say Benton is elite in this regard, it is an area where I think we're seeing some growth in his game pic.twitter.com/4IFNhGRkWm
— Ryan Parish (@RyanParishmedia) April 16, 2025
Still, even in some of these successful reps, you can see some of Benton’s current limitations as a nose tackle. Benton’s got a powerful upper half, but he doesn’t have a strong anchor with his base. If he doesn’t pay attention to his pad level on a given rep, it can get him shuffling his feet. He was most susceptible to this when facing double teams.
Ryland had some critiques for Benton as a penetrator in the pass rush, but funnily enough, I think his ability to penetrate against the run is a strength of his. While I found myself critiquing his ability to take on double teams, put him one-on-one with the greenlight to get into the backfield, and that’s where Benton shines as a disruptor. On some of these reps he needs to improve ability to finish, but you can see the potential in his game.
I think Benton was at his best when he was given the greenlight to get in the backfield and disrupt the play. Leave him 1-on-1 at your own peril pic.twitter.com/kRkSKMJsex
— Ryan Parish (@RyanParishmedia) April 16, 2025
All in all, I think Benton’s “sophomore slump” is a bit overblown. I still think he’s been miscast as a nose and would rather see him slide into Larry Ogunjobi’s old role, but he isn’t a detriment at nose tackle. If the Steelers keep him there, they need to work on his anchoring as he is a player that still seems more comfortable moving laterally and shedding than he is taking on double teams.
Join in on Steelers R&R by sharing your takes on this week’s topics. What quarterback is the Steelers’ best option in Round 1? Is Keeanu Benton a defensive building block? Let us know in the comments! Feel free to pitch future questions in the comment section or on Twitter/X: tag @_Ryland_B or @RyanParishMedia.
