No shortage of quarterbacks trying to catch attention of Steelers, other NFL teams at combine

INDIANAPOLIS — Because they don’t have any of their quarterbacks from the 2024 season under contract, the Pittsburgh Steelers have used the offseason to heavily scout the prospects. The process began at the Shrine and Senior Bowl all-star events and continued this week at the NFL Combine.

General manager Omar Khan wants to have Russell Wilson or Justin Fields under contract before the start of free agency March 10. If that happens, that would lessen the need for the Steelers to take a quarterback early in the draft so they can address the defensive line and wide receiver positions.

What the Steelers have encountered in the process is a group of passers that could be second- or third-day developmental picks for the organization.

Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders and Miami’s Cam Ward are consensus top-15 selections. Beyond that, no other passer has a first-round grade, according to most draft analysts.

Jaxson Dart of Ole Miss, viewed as the No. 3 quarterback in the group, is using the combine to help change the narrative that there is a separation between Sanders, Ward and the rest of the field.

“There are a lot of people saying a lot of different things,” he said Friday. “I’m not trying to tie my hands or anything like that. … This has been a dream for me since I was a little kid to be in the position I’m in today. I’m really just trying to improve.”

Dart was among a large contingent of quarterbacks that met with reporters Friday, a day before the group will work out in front of scouts and coaches at Lucas Oil Stadium. Some are skipping the session, preferring to test their arms at their school’s pro day.

The list of passers who expect to be drafted includes Ohio State’s Will Howard, Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, Syracuse’s Kyle McCord, Texas’ Quinn Ewers, Louisville’s Tyler Shough, Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel and Notre Dame’s Riley Leonard.

Some prospects such as Dart met with Steelers representatives at the Senior Bowl. Ewers was one who had a formal meeting with the team at the combine.

“Coach Tomlin ran the show,” Ewers said. “It was fun to get to talk to him. We were just chatting it up. It was a good time.”

Ewers said the Steelers were one of only two teams that focused on his personality more than his football ability. Tomlin inquired about his grades in college.

Thanks to NIL money and the transfer policy, many in this quarterback class played at multiple schools. Shough played for three, beginning his journey at Oregon for two years before spending three at Texas Tech and the 2024 season at Louisville.

Shough will turn 26 in September, but he doesn’t think his age should be held against him.

“I don’t think the NFL considers it to be a negative,” he said. “I haven’t heard any questions about it so far. I consider it a positive. Quarterbacks play well into their 30s. It’s shown up time and time again.”

Shough also is trying to show his injuries aren’t an issue. At Texas Tech, he started only 13 games in three seasons. He broke his collarbone twice and then fractured a fibula on a hip-drop tackle, he said.

Shough had an injury-free super senior season when he made 12 starts at Louisville.

“The injury history really isn’t an injury history,” he said. “I had a couple broken bones, and that hasn’t hindered me. I’ve never had knee or back issues.”

Howard spent four seasons at Kansas State — he started 27 games there — before transferring to Ohio State with a goal of playing for a national championship. He accomplished that mission by leading the Buckeyes past Tennessee, Oregon, Texas and Notre Dame to win the inaugural 12-team playoff.

Howard was named championship game MVP.

“That was huge for me,” he said of the playoff run. “A lot of people were telling me different things about where my draft stock was after the year. I wasn’t really sure going into the playoffs. They said you could really help yourself out if you have a strong showing in the playoffs.”

Milroe thinks his decision to start and finish his career at Alabama weighs in his favor. A backup for his first two seasons, Milroe could have transferred but waited his turn to start. He was named a captain for his junior and senior seasons, and he is viewed as the best runner in his draft class.

“I didn’t go anywhere, and I had opportunities to do so,” he said. “I’ve been through adversity. Everything as a quarterback, I’ve seen. I played in the hardest conference in the country. I played against the No. 1 team in the country. I played against the No. 1 defense in the country. If I lacked knowledge, I wouldn’t be able to play in those big games.”