The Pittsburgh Steelers made a trade with the Seattle Seahawks early in 2025 to obtain wide receiver DK Metcalf. However, Pittsburgh surrendered their second-round draft pick in the current NFL draft that is in process as of this writing.
The Steelers have been the focus of most football conversations this offseason and leading up to the draft with nearly everyone talking about the draft expected the Steelers to use their first-round pick which was the 21st overall in selecting a new quarterback. That didn’t happen.
Instead of picking Shedeur Sanders as many expected the Steelers to choose, they instead went with a team need and drafted Derrick Harmon, Sanders’ teammate in 2024. Originally a defensive tackle at Michigan State University, Harmon switched schools in 2024 and transferred to the University of Oregon. In 16 games as a Spartan, Harmon made 24 tackles with 47 assisted tackles. He made three sacks in those three seasons at Michigan State with a forced fumble.
Did the Steelers make a smart selection with the 21st pick and not choose what might be a bigger need at quarterback? Absolutely. They say defense wins games and with Cameron Heyward in the twilight of his career Harmon represents the future for the defensive line in Pittsburgh. Given his performance at Colorado last season this was a wise choice.
In 2024 Harmon played in all 14 games and had 27 solo tackles to go with 18 assists and five sacks to boot. More impressive was his 11 tackles for a loss. Harmon also defended four passes, made two fumble recoveries and forced two fumbles.
Pittsburgh does not have a second-round pick as of this writing, so the quarterback situation remains. Aaron Rodgers is still uncommitted to his future, and he continues to leave the Steelers hanging although the decision is squarely on the shoulders of Pittsburgh’s front office. They could easily tell Rodgers to take a walk and there is a buzz about working a trade with Atlanta to bring Kirk Cousins to the ‘Burgh. That is an option that is far more appealing to me than bringing the drama queen Rodgers in to wear Black and Gold.
Pittsburgh’s run defense became porous in the five-game losing streak that ended their 2024 season so having Derrick Harmon in the fold now makes all the sense in the world. For now, Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson are the quarterbacks on the roster and as much as I respect Rudolph and believe he is a decent QB he does not have the tools to become a Super Bowl winning quarterback. The search goes on for QB1.
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