Empoleon8771
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Sanders in Pittsburgh for a visit. Schefter also said the Steelers are hosting McCord for a visit:
McCord is the guy I want to go with if they're using a 4th or 5th on a QB.
OT: The Pittsburgher Thread: Off Season We dont need a QB Edition
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Sanders in Pittsburgh for a visit. Schefter also said the Steelers are hosting McCord for a visit:
McCord is the guy I want to go with if they're using a 4th or 5th on a QB.
Empoleon8771
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I think this is a ridiculous take when:
1. We don't know who will even declare for next year's draft yet. Manning, Sellers and Iamaleava are all redshirt freshmen that may not declare in 2026.
2. Sanders had a better junior season than all of Allar, Nussmeier and Klubnik.
3. Players may not progress to positively impact their draft slot, with Milroe being a golden example of that this year.
A bird in the hand is worth 2 in the bush. We have zero idea what the 2026 QB class will look like because so much is uncertain when it comes to who declares and who raises/hurts their draft stock.
If you want to go by NFL Draft Buzz rankings, it has Sanders as an equal prospect to Allar with an 89.0 rating.
JTG
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These QBs are not worth a 1st round pick. We can keep going around in this circle. To me, you take a player where they are slotted. I don't give a flying f*** if we draft a QB this year. Drafting Shadeur doesn't make this team better. Drafting any other position basically does. Draft him at 83. Don't draft him at 21.
If players don't declare next year, then they are just parlaying it to a year where the quality of player is higher than years previous anyway. It's about odds - the odds of us getting 1/3 legit starting NFL QB next year is better than this year where there are 0 starting QBs in this draft that will start next year. 2027 draft...same thing. 3-4 starting guys who pedigree who are more skilled RIGHT NOW than Shadeur Sanders.
Sanders is a good college QB. His motion needs to change a lot ot be a good pro QB. IF he had more zip he could get by, but the ball legit dies on him.
Empoleon8771
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Just arbitrarily saying that doesn't make it true. Like I said, NFL Draft Buzz has Sanders at the same exact rating as Allar. NFL.com has him ranked at a 6.30, which is between Nix (6.39) and Penix (6.25) last year. Everything available suggests he's a prospect roughly on par with Nix and Penix from 2024.
Sanders is widely considered a 1st round talent by pretty much any scouting report you look at. Saying he's the 5th-7th ranked QB next year is completely baseless when his numbers are better than numerous guys and we don't even know who will declare for the draft next year.
The idea that drafting Sanders wouldn't make this team better when it has Mason Rudolph as its QB is absurd.
JTG
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It does make it true. When comparing years previously, these guys do not stack up. Emp - this shit is my hobby lol. If you want to go back and forth with me, that's fine, but I'm here to tell you, as someone that has followed high school and college football recruiting for like 25 years, this draft class flat out sucks for QBs. Mason would start from the get-go and never let go of the starting job.
Nothing YOU say will change MY opinion of Sanders. I have the things I look at and he don't got it.
Goalie_Bob
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Sanders isn't rated or slotted anywhere near Pick 83.
JTG
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Empoleon8771
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JTG
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So am I...along with historical information.
Even if you look at the draft grades right now from NFL Draft Buzz - Shadeur how it sits would be 4th ranked - and his college career is over and the rest of the guys are sophomores or freshmen.
Like I said, you can believe what you want...not here to change your mind. But taking Shadeur Sanders, regardless of where he is ranked, is a bad move for this team this year. If we were more complete...whatever, I'd be fine taking the chance.
They have to take a DL in the 1st round.
Empoleon8771
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And those sophomores or freshmen may not even declare for the 2026 draft. That's literally the point of me mentioning that. If Manning, Iamaleava and Sellers don't declare for the 2026 draft, the 2026 QB draft class isn't any better than it is this year. Allar, Nussmeier and Klubnik isn't better than Ward, Sanders and Dart.
JTG
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Then they aren't declaring to be in a draft that is just as deep.
Lol. Round and round.
Empoleon8771
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Snooki Stackhouse
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I agree. Every year it's the same thing -
"Nix isn't worth a top 15 pick"
"Penix isn't worth a top 15 pick"
Yet they go where they go because of the position and sometimes it doesn't work out (Kenny) and sometimes it does (Nix).
The Steelers aren't going to pick in the top 5 next year. They'll be 15-22 and we'll say "Wow not sure Nussmeier is worth it here".
Want a QB at the 15-22 slot? You're going to get the Nix/Sanders type guys and you just have to keep trying.
Double-Shift Lasse
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Which is why I don't like the focus on traditional bell-cow style backs. Give me a Bijan or Jamyr who you want to share carries but who maxes out their workload with dynamic play. Maybe even a second-level guy in that mold like a Bucky Irving or Devon Achane, given where you have to draft those guys.
Henderson to me is the prototype in this draft, but there are some other guys who have similar profiles.
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Even if Rodger’s didn’t say anything on the big night aht that show was cool as f*** and I love how they brought all of the generations stars together on stage to give their flowers, and it goes to show Crosby’s clutch gene is always evident. He made that first throw with the football bang on and NOBODY was surprised 
Empoleon8771
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Yeah I don't have an issue being skeptical with Sanders, I just keep asking the question of "what's the end game here?" with the QB situation if you say no to every option that isn't the next Mahomes or Allen. It feels super choosing beggar-y that will most likely result in the Steelers just not getting a QB anytime soon.
If you don't even take a shot at getting a QB, you just guarantee you won't fix the QB position. Taking a shot on someone like Sanders, Dart or Milroe this year at least gives them a guy who could possibly fix the QB position. It's the same reason why I have no clue why so many Steelers fans say "I'm glad we didn't pay Fields", how is going into next year with Rudolph or Rodgers as their QB more likely to find that QB fix?
Tbf, you've pretty much nailed why most of us want to trade up.
Although I did like what I read of Nix a lot more than what I like of Sanders. More mobility, more throwing on the move, and way, way, way less sacks. I'd have considered taking him at 21.
Sanders... I can't make myself say no because he's got very high accuracy and potentially very high mental traits, but I can't make myself say yes because that's all he's got and I don't know he's got the mental traits to make just that work. I'd add that the number of hits he takes worries me given his size. I would not be surprised if he becomes very injury prone. Hopefully he calms down and stops playing heroball in the NFL environment.
Thing is, I think Warren/Gainwell are already those sorts of RBs. Maybe not Jahmyr Gibbs, but definitely second-level, playmaking guys. Bringing in a more conventional power back seems the best way to round that room out. Unless they think Warren is the power guy.
Double-Shift Lasse
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Eh. I don't find either of them dynamic enough. Which is not the same as me saying I don't like them both as football players or they are hamstringing the team's run game. I actually feel like a Henderson-type is a complement to their play rather than redundant. I know neither is a pounder but I feel like Warren in particular could be the Montgomery, if you will.
I am probably jut crazy and really fixated about this as a change in how NFL offenses work. Just like I've been stuck for years about how people still have an outdated regard for what an NHL third lineshould look like.
Buddy Bizarre
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I can get that, although I'm not sure I agree, but I can get thinking they're not dynamic enough. I think that's more their archetype than anything else though. I don't think they're Montgomery guys.
In any case, I don't particularly disagree with what you want for the RB room... but they've got two guys in place and I think they've got to work around that. I'll be curious to see what they think is missing. I'm real curious as to what Warren does this season. His 2023 was great. Made so many guys miss. But whether he's got the all round skillset and durability to hold up to a bigger, more rounded work role... I don't know.
WickedWrister
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I think there's merit to both arguments here. I agree with @JTG that there's a pretty strong consensus that this is a shitty QB class. Earlier in this thread I was talking about those same NFL.com grades and provided historical comparisons from the same evaluator to demonstrate that it is perceived as not only low ceiling, but also shallow. We're talking about last years QB5 having the same grade as this years QB1. So why not just do the smart thing and avoid what projects to be an especially high risk-low reward scenario?
I've also personally made the same point that Emp and others are making, how we need to be WAY more aggressive attacking the QB position via the draft, trades, FA, basically everything. Just sitting and waiting for the perfect prospect is going to lead to even more years of futility.
I don't think Sanders is dog shit. But what I absolutely do not want to do this year is spend extra draft capital to move up and take a QB I don't love. I don't think that's an unreasonable or unrealistic expectation if you're picking in the... lets say.... top 12ish? At 21? Yeah, that's a tier or two down and those guys are going to have some serious warts.
Just based on the characteristics that I value in a QB (pedigree, arm talent, size, athleticism), I just feel I'm going to have better odds of landing a QB I love next year.
I've also personally made the same point that Emp and others are making, how we need to be WAY more aggressive attacking the QB position via the draft, trades, FA, basically everything. Just sitting and waiting for the perfect prospect is going to lead to even more years of futility.
I don't think Sanders is dog shit. But what I absolutely do not want to do this year is spend extra draft capital to move up and take a QB I don't love. I don't think that's an unreasonable or unrealistic expectation if you're picking in the... lets say.... top 12ish? At 21? Yeah, that's a tier or two down and those guys are going to have some serious warts.
Just based on the characteristics that I value in a QB (pedigree, arm talent, size, athleticism), I just feel I'm going to have better odds of landing a QB I love next year.
WickedWrister
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For what it's worth, I think Shedeur improved his sack avoidance this year and fell below that 20% P2S threshold. Also in light of Jayden Daniels rookie year, I'm reevaluating just how important that metric is in the first place. Or how much the QB is responsible vs. the O line.
Edit: I lied he was 20.1% pressure to sack ratio this year. An improvement but still pretty bad
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