The Pittsburgh Steelers remain in the waiting room of Aaron Rodgers and his decision. They somewhat hedged their bets by bringing back quarterback Mason Rudolph – someone who spent six years with the Steelers and appeared in 21 games during that span. While it feels like Rodgers or Rudolph will be the team’s 2025 starter, one NFL Draft analyst predicts that another unexpected name will enter the fray.

In his latest mock draft, Ryan Fowler of The Draft Network predicts that Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders will slide all the way to the No. 21 pick where the Steelers will take him.

“With Russell Wilson visiting teams in free agency, Justin Fields now in Jets green, and Kyle Allen on the open market, Pittsburgh doesn’t have a QB on the roster aside from Mason Rudolph,” Fowler writes. “Enter Shedeur Sanders, who would arrive with immense talent around him in George Pickens, Pat Freiermuth, and the recently acquired DK Metcalf. While it could also be a major clash of personalities, a bunch of alphas in the same offense is the type of group I’d want to go to war with each and every Sunday. Positive correlating surroundings are as important to a young QB as anything, and Pittsburgh has some pieces in place.”

While that is wishful thinking for some Steelers fans who would like to see Sanders don the black and gold, it seems highly unlikely that he will make it out of the top 10, much less to No. 21. Should the Steelers want Sanders or Cam Ward, they would have to make a large jump into the top five to do so which, frankly speaking, they are not going to do.