It didn’t take long for Pittsburgh Steelers fans to grasp the value of a franchise quarterback. Since the retirement of Ben Roethlisberger following the 2021 season, this franchise has suffered through an array of stop-gap starters including Kenny Pickett, Mitch Trubisky, Mason Rudolph, Justin Fields, and Russell Wilson.

We know that a permanent answer needs to come in the NFL Draft, but when? And who?

Selecting Pickett with the 20th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft was a mistake we could see coming from a mile away. Pickett turned 24 years old shortly after the draft and had an assortment of concerns—including just one year of respectable production at Pitt, historically small hands, and pedestrian arm talent.

This didn’t stop the Steelers from rushing to turn their card in for Pickett in the first round of a bad quarterback class. Now there are draft experts who believe Pittsburgh is once again reaching desperation mode at quarterback.

On Monday, CBS Sports analyst Pete Prisco released his first 2025 NFL mock draft. With the 21st overall pick, Prisco had the Pittsburgh Steelers reaching for Ole Miss Rebels QB Jaxson Dart.

Dart has been a steady riser on big boards since the college season ended. Despite modest performances at the Senior Bowl and the NFL Combine, the value of the position has caused him to consistently vault into the first round of recent mock drafts.

The Pittsburgh Steelers can’t fall into another short-sighted QB trap

With a severe need at the position, it makes sense why the Pittsburgh Steelers could select a quarterback in the first round, but unless this is a dice roll on Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders (who is unlikely to fall this far) taking a QB in Round 1 would be a mistake.

Jaxson Dart has some traits to like about his game. He was a productive starter in the SEC who racked up 4,279 passing yards and 32 touchdowns last season while chipping in 495 yards on the ground. Dart checks a ton of boxes teams look for at the QB position, but he comes from a gimmicky Lane Kiffin offense and only possesses average NFL arm talent.

In a conference dominated by remarkable quarterbacks, can the Steelers afford to settle for the third-best QB in a bad quarterback class? If Dart hits his ceiling, he likely won’t be a QB who can go toe-to-toe with players like Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, and Joe Burrow in the AFC.

When looking ahead to the 2026 NFL Draft, it’s easy to see a crop of talent worth betting on. In comparison to the 2025 QB class, next year’s group of quarterbacks looks more promising.

The last thing the Steelers can afford to do is repeat their past mistake with Kenny Pickett and lock themselves into a quarterback who will never be good enough to take this team to the next level. There’s a chance Jaxson Dart could be a franchise signal-caller, but he doesn’t have the traits worth betting on in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.