The Pittsburgh Steelers’ future at the quarterback position isn’t looking so great at the moment, as the team figures to roll with a veteran at the position in 2025 and enters the offseason without a long-term answer.
As a result, it would be wise for the Steelers to take a swing on a quarterback in the 2025 NFL Draft in order to at least give themselves a young signal-caller to develop in the hopes he can eventually take the reins for the long haul.
With that in mind, Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette predicts the Steelers will draft Louisville quarterback Tyler Shough in the seventh round of his latest mock. Here’s what Batko said about the selection:
“Why not throw another dart at quarterback, particularly one who drew rave reviews in Mobile?” Batko wrote. “He might end up going significantly higher because he’s 6-foot-5, 225 pounds and threw for 3,195 yards, 23 touchdowns and just six interceptions last year. But he’s also turning 26 in late September and spent six seasons across three schools (Oregon and Texas Tech, too).”
The 6-foot-5, 225-pound signal-caller started for Louisville in his final college season and completed 62.7% of his passes for 23 touchdowns to six picks. Over seven years in college, Shough threw for 7,820 yards and scored 70 total scores.
Shough will make a living as a pocket passer, but his mobility remains highly underrated (front flip TD run vs Clemson). In rhythm, Shough has showcased the ability to take care of the football and move the sticks, only to find a soft spot and drive a throw 35 yards into the bucket.
Away from concerns about his age, where Shough’s player development phase is completed, he has traits that many teams look for in a potential contributor at the NFL level, should the surroundings correlate to what he does best.
The Steelers would be an idea landing spot for Shough. The Louisville product can sit behind whichever veteran starter Pittsburgh signs, which would give him some much-needed developmental time. In that span, the Steelers would be able to gauge what he can be in 2026 and beyond.u
The Steelers would be an idea landing spot for Shough. The Louisville product can sit behind whichever veteran starter Pittsburgh signs, which would give him some much-needed developmental time. In that span, the Steelers would be able to gauge what he can be in 2026 and beyond.
As we’ve seen with someone like Brock Purdy in San Francisco, it isn’t impossible to find a late-round gem at quarterback. And, if the Steelers strike out in that scenario, there will be no pain because it’s just a late-round pick.
While we’d prefer the Steelers draft a quarterback earlier than this, taking a late-round swing on someone like Shough is better than nothing.
