Once again, the Pittsburgh Steelers are in the market for a rookie quarterback at the worst possible time.
The last time the Steelers were in dire need of a quarterback was during the 2022 NFL Draft, which proved to be the weakest quarterback class in some time. The Steelers were able to draft quarterback Kenny Pickett, the top prospect in that year’s draft, with the No. 20 overall pick. Pickett was the only quarterback selected in the first three rounds of that draft. Of the nine quarterbacks selected, only one of them has proven to be a viable starter in the league: Brock Purdy, who was selected with the last pick of the draft by the San Francisco 49ers.
Pickett lasted just two years in Pittsburgh before being jettisoned across the state to the Philadelphia Eagles, where he became a Super Bowl champion. Now, the Steelers may be looking to find another first-round quarterback in another underwhelming draft class.
Kenny Pickett 2.0: Steelers met with Jaxson Dart at Scouting Combine
Mississippi quarterback Jaxson Dart revealed that he met with the Steelers during the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, per NFL Network.
Dart is considered to be the No. 3 quarterback prospect, but he is a distant third behind Miami quarterback Cam Ward and Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders. The top prospects are out of reach for the Steelers, who currently hold the No. 21 overall pick — which is right around where they drafted Pickett.
Dart praised Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith while discussing his meeting with the team.
"The Steelers have been great," Dart said, per Sports Illustrated. "Coach Smith, coach Tomlin, I think they're great coaches, elite at what they do, and they've had a ton of success everywhere they've been. Especially for coach Tomlin, being able to sustain that success is extremely impressive, so I had a lot of fun making relationships with them."
The Steelers have been stuck in mediocrity ever since Ben Roethlisberger’s departure. They haven’t done poorly enough to draft one of the top quarterback prospects, but also haven’t done well enough to win in the postseason. Pittsburgh has lost five consecutive playoff games, including four wild-card round appearances.
Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers and Minnesota quarterback Max Brosmer are also options for Pittsburgh, especially if they opt to re-sign either veteran Russell Wilson or Justin Fields. Dart intends to throw during combine drills on Saturday. Despite his physical tools and accuracy, there are concerns about his processing and ability to run a pro-style offense.