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00:00Round 1 of the 2025 NFL Draft has come and gone, and the Pittsburgh Steelers decided to pass on a quarterback.
00:07Despite having all options not named Cam Ward on the table, Pittsburgh took defensive lineman Derek Harmon,
00:13who figures to be a great pick, but one that the Pittsburgh Steelers could come to regret.
00:21Hey everyone, Rob Gregson of A to Z Sports Pittsburgh here,
00:25and today we're going to discuss why passing on a quarterback may come back to bite the Pittsburgh Steelers.
00:31Look, Derek Harmon is a pro's pro.
00:34This is a player who you're going to look up in 10 years, and he has a bunch of Pro Bowls on his resume,
00:39he's a team captain, and he's one of the best players on the Pittsburgh Steelers.
00:44Anytime you have a shot to draft who the Steelers believe to be their next Cam Hayward,
00:50especially at 21st overall, you jump on that 9 times out of 10.
00:55But the one time you don't, is when you don't have a starting quarterback on your roster.
00:59And the Pittsburgh Steelers, as much as they like Mason Rudolph,
01:03they do not have a starting quarterback on their roster.
01:05And they had every option, not named Cam Ward, at their availability.
01:12Instead, they didn't take Shadur Sanders, they didn't take Jackson Dart,
01:15they didn't even take Jalen Milrow, they took a defensive tackle.
01:18So what this tells us is that the Pittsburgh Steelers have to have some sort of assurance from Aaron Rodgers.
01:27There's no way that they are going into a pivotal season for TJ Watt, for Cam Hayward, for Minka Fitzpatrick,
01:35with George Pickens going into an expiring contract after trading for DK Metcalf.
01:40They're not doing all of this to trot out Mason Rudolph as their starting quarterback in week one.
01:46There's no way, there's no how.
01:48And if you want to say, oh, well, they can go and get a quarterback on day two.
01:51Sure, maybe they can.
01:52They don't pick until 83rd overall.
01:54Even though Shadur Sanders fell, it would be one of the biggest shocks in NFL history
02:01if he was anywhere near the 83rd overall pick when the Steelers pick on Friday night.
02:06Even if Jalen Milrow is there, it would be a shock.
02:10So the Steelers really are left with a bunch of guys that, at best, are likely to be career backups.
02:17And that's if they take a quarterback in round three, much less round four or five.
02:22Their attention now has to turn to the other needs on the roster.
02:26The running back, the wide receiver, the cornerback position.
02:29Taking a quarterback in round three, it doesn't do you any good
02:33when you already have two quarterbacks that are backups.
02:37So there has to be some sort of assurance that Aaron Rodgers is on the team.
02:42And the second thing is the Steelers front office and ownership,
02:46they obviously put their foot down with Mike Tomlin.
02:50We know Mike Tomlin was the one who wanted Shadur Sanders.
02:53We know that the team had a great meeting with Shadur Sanders
02:57and that Mike Tomlin was the one who pushed to have the meeting in the first place
03:03when it became clear that Shadur was falling in the draft.
03:06He was the one who came out and, at the pre-draft press conference,
03:12stated how tough he is and his competitive spirit and how much he liked him.
03:17This was Mike Tomlin's guy.
03:18Ian Rappaport reported just minutes before the Steelers picked
03:23that there was internal debate all week long
03:26on whether or not to take Shadur Sanders or Derek Harmon.
03:30Guess what that debate was?
03:31It was Mike Tomlin and Omar Khan.
03:33Mike Tomlin, Omar Khan, and Art Rooney.
03:36I understand that there's battle scars from taking Kenny Pickett
03:40in round one just a few years ago.
03:41I understand that Shadur Sanders probably isn't a true first-round talent
03:46when you look at his physical traits
03:48or that Jackson Dart has a lot of issues that may plague him in the NFL
03:56and that he's not as ready-made of a prospect.
03:58I understand all of that.
04:00It doesn't matter.
04:01The quarterback position is the most important in football
04:04and in all the sports.
04:05And when you have to address the position
04:07and you have two viable options,
04:10being Dart and Sanders, on the board and you pass on them,
04:14even if Derek Harmon is really good,
04:17I'm talking Pro Bowl, All-Pro, Stud,
04:20if either one of those quarterbacks or Jalen Milrow,
04:24so if Jalen Milrow, Jackson Dart, or Shadur Sanders
04:27turn out to be viable starters in the NFL,
04:31the Pittsburgh Steelers are going to be wishing
04:33that they had taken one of those quarterbacks in round one.