Analyst Sends Shedeur Sanders Message to Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers are on Shedeur Sanders watch as the 2025 NFL Draft rapidly approaches, and they may just represent his best fit as well.

The Athletic's Nick Baumgardner believes that any team with an incomplete roster whose season wouldn't be fixed by even a Herculean rookie effort from Sanders should avoid the Colorado star entirely.

"If you are truly thinking about taking Shedeur Sanders at No. 2 or No. 3 (or anywhere in the top 10) and your roster is flawed to a point where even a successful rookie QB won’t be enough to fix you in 2025, then you just shouldn’t do it," Baumgardner wrote.

"To be clear, I do like Sanders. I think if he’s drafted by a team with a stable supporting cast around him (not unlike what we saw with Bo Nix last year), he’ll have a chance. But if you put him on a bad team expecting a miracle, you’re running a major risk of stunting his growth."

Baumgardner's declaration would seem to have more relevancy when focusing on the Cleveland Browns, New York Giants and New Orleans Saints, all of whom need long-term starters behind center while owning the No. 2, 3 and 9 overall picks, respectively.

Cleveland and New York both appear likely to pass on Sanders at this juncture, but the Saints are perhaps his most probable landing spot after receiving word that Derek Carr may miss considerable time due to a shoulder injury.

Pittsburgh is next in line after New Orleans, however, and Baumgardner ultimately believes Sanders will join Aaron Rodgers in the team's signal caller room next year.

"I’ll say both Rodgers and Sanders are Steelers next year," Baumgardner wrote. "Not sure if that’s the best possible spot for Rodgers, but I do think it’s the best one for Sanders.

"I really like the idea of Sanders landing with the Steelers and being given a chance to learn and adjust to the NFL."

Pittsburgh's roster is nowhere near complete, but it still has far and away the best crop of talent among the signal caller-needy teams in this year's draft.

Furthermore, Sanders wouldn't be thrown in the deep end with the Steelers if Rodgers were there. 2025 could profile as somewhat of a redshirt season for the 23-year-old while sitting behind the four-time MVP and maybe even Mason Rudolph before taking over the starting duties in 2026.

Pittsburgh would provide Sanders with the best developmental set-up amongst his suitors too, and there's an increasingly realistic scenario in which the organization does find a way to bring him in.

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