I went with Derrick Harmon, DL, Oregon.
Not knowing how the Steelers feel about Sanders has me questioning picking him. I know they love Harmon and he fits the team like a glove.
Even if Archie doesn’t come out it’s still potentially 6 deep with 1st round Qbs.
Huh?? They could have traded with Cards, Chargers, Giants, Titans, Bears or Jets. It would have cost, big, but they could have pulled it off if they had set their priorities correctly.Huh both were drafted in the top 12 and no teams wanted to trade out from them
As of today that leaves what.. Sellers and Allar as 1-2… then a bunch of what ifs. Those two have more to prove as well.
Yeah it's way too early but I feel confident enough to say that 2026 certainly projects to be deeper at QB than this year. I think the amount of QB's drafted in the 1st round the last 10 years averages to about ~3 per year. Maybe that's not the best barometer but it's an indication of much teams feel about a particular class. O/U this year is 2.5 with Dart really being the only variable.Projecting QBs a year out seems a fool's errand but I've seen six names regularly mocked way too early in the 1st - Manning/Iamaleava/Allar/Sellers/Nussmeier/Klubnik - and one given a bit of love in Leavitt.
None of them are sure things but all of them have big potential. Maybe it's a bad year, maybe it's an awesome year.
A lot remains to be determined, but there's also Iamaleava and Nussmeier that are projected to be round 1 picks as well. If Manning declares for the draft (I think he waits until 2027), there could be at least 5 legit 1st round caliber QBs in the draft next year. Klubnik is also interesting as well.
Projecting QBs a year out seems a fool's errand but I've seen six names regularly mocked way too early in the 1st - Manning/Iamaleava/Allar/Sellers/Nussmeier/Klubnik - and one given a bit of love in Leavitt.
None of them are sure things but all of them have big potential. Maybe it's a bad year, maybe it's an awesome year.
Yeah it's way too early but I feel confident enough to say that 2026 certainly projects to be deeper at QB than this year. I think the amount of QB's drafted in the 1st round the last 10 years averages to about ~3 per year. Maybe that's not the best barometer but it's an indication of much teams feel about a particular class. O/U this year is 2.5 with Dart really being the only variable.
It's logical to think that with a weaker class this year, next year will have to be deeper because of supply/demand, even if the quality of 2026 isn't guaranteed to be better. There will just be more job openings. I don't think the Steelers fans are alone when targeting 2026 for their next franchise QB.
Yeah that's a good counterpoint, I can concede that maybe the low supply side issue in 2022 didn't automatically mean increased demand in 2023. But the year after we got 6 QB's taken in the 1st so maybe there's just a lag time of a year lol.I was going to agree unreservedly with your last paragraph until I considered that a weak 2022 draft class still only resulted in 3 R1 QBs in 2023. Some teams tried to make it 4 with Levis, but not so strongly as to take him early in the round. There's only so far NFL teams will force things.
I do think there's a very good chance that a lot of teams are waiting for next year though. 2/3 of the Giants, Titans, and Browns probably remove themselves from the list this year but that leaves the Jets, Saints, maybe the Raiders and probably the Colts all looking at a bare minimum. Steelers might well need that class to run six deep - or for a few guys considered back-ups to show out - to get a guy without it being brutally expensive.
The chargers weren’t passing on Alt. Arizona loved MHJ. Giants loved Nabers. Trading up for Bo would have been badHuh?? They could have traded with Cards, Chargers, Giants, Titans, Bears or Jets. It would have cost, big, but they could have pulled it off if they had set their priorities correctly.
I liked what Levit did in Arizona State Kubak at Clemson Nico in Tennessee plus Garrett Sellers and AllarMeh, I wouldn’t go that far.
I suspect Manning will stay two more years, given Archie had 30+ college starts and Eli and Peyton had 40+ starts before coming out.
As of today that leaves what.. Sellers and Allar as 1-2… then a bunch of what ifs. Those two have more to prove as well.
Manning has a lot to prove, but a great season and the Manning name means he goes off the board as the top QB, but again I doubt he comes out in ‘26.
The other two who could get into round 1 are Nussmeier, who worries me being so undersized and Beck, who didn’t live up to the hype this season, and he just transferred from Georgia so who the hell knows what kind of season he will have.
Just a bunch of what ifs right now, including if Manning is the real deal.
I liked what Levit did in Arizona State Kubak at Clemson Nico in Tennessee plus Garrett Sellers and Allar
Yes because Manning will be the guy everyone tanks for like Lawerence. Long way to goWe’ll see how it goes.
Only twice in the modern NFL have 6
QBs gone in round 1 (83 and 2024).
Steelers I suspect/hope will move up with it being painfully obvious they need a franchise guy, and the draft being in Pgh.
Hate to keep banging the Manning drum, but him coming out next spring would greatly aid the Steelers ability to draft an elite talent at QB.
Yes because Manning will be the guy everyone tanks for like Lawerence. Long way to go
I think a couple of big factors in Manning's decision will be 1) if Texas wins the National Championship 2) who has the #1 pick. If Texas doesn't win the Championship, I think he's like 99% likely to return to school. If they do, but it's like the Browns or the Jaguars or some other franchise that's undesirable, he might roll the dice again.
Him coming out would obviously be big for the Steelers, but I still like the class without him about a million times more than this year's class. And if we get to next year and it's collapsed for whatever reason, do it all again and load up to take a shot in 2027. I know it would be painful. We knew finding the next franchise guy after Ben would be. But using 1st round picks on guys like Kenny Pickett makes it even more painful.
I would also say that drafting your next franchise guy early in R1 is obviously the preferred approach, but IF you build a strong enough team, there are other options. You can sign a Brady or a P. Manning for a few years. You can trade for a Stafford. You can make some luxury picks later in the draft to try and land a Hurts or Wilson or Purdy.
I want them to be aggressive without being desperate. If the guy is not there, he's not there. Stay disciplined and continue to build a strong team. If they get to a point where basically everything is in place except the QB, that's when you take some bigger swings. They aren't there yet.
Also in draft news, Daniel Jeremiah has us taking Dart at 21 in his latest mock…which would make me puke.
Is it crazy to say that Sanders seems like a Pickett esque prospect? Maybe a little more talented, but I don’t know that there’s a huge difference between the two.
Meh, I wouldn’t go that far.
I suspect Manning will stay two more years, given Archie had 30+ college starts and Eli and Peyton had 40+ starts before coming out.
As of today that leaves what.. Sellers and Allar as 1-2… then a bunch of what ifs. Those two have more to prove as well.
Manning has a lot to prove, but a great season and the Manning name means he goes off the board as the top QB, but again I doubt he comes out in ‘26.
The other two who could get into round 1 are Nussmeier, who worries me being so undersized and Beck, who didn’t live up to the hype this season, and he just transferred from Georgia so who the hell knows what kind of season he will have.
Just a bunch of what ifs right now, including if Manning is the real deal.
I'd struggle to get behind drafting Milroe even with a luxury pick when the rest of the team is set let alone with the number of holes they currently have.Well clearly the Steelers heard you as they took Jalen Milroe to dinner![]()
That would be my last straw.
Not at all. Shadeur is a bit longer. Pickett was stalkier. I think Shadeur's mechanics are way better. Both have a QB1 personality though. I'd like Shadeur in the 2nd round a lot, but it again comes down to do we want to throw picks at QB whenever we can, or are we waiting for our guy?
Manning will come out if there is a good team that had a bad season. Hedge his bets on ending up in Cleveland.