The Pittsburgh Steelers are a big topic of debate leading up to the 2026 NFL Draft, due in large part to their clear need at the quarterback position.<\/p>\n
Pittsburgh continues to wait for a decision from 42-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers, and there is a lot of belief internally when it comes to second-year pro Will Howard. But with new head coach Mike McCarthy in the mix, and the need for a long-term franchise quarterback in the Steel City, the Steelers are consistently highlighted as a team worth monitoring at the quarterback position in the draft.<\/p>\n
They\u2019ve been connected to Alabama\u2019s Ty Simpson in the first round, not to mention names like North Dakota State\u2019s Cole Payton, Miami (FL)\u2019s Carson Beck, and LSU\u2019s Garrett Nussmeier throughout the pre-draft process.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s very unlikely the Steelers draft a quarterback in the first round, and it seems somewhat unlikely they\u2019d draft one at all. But ESPN\u2019s Louis Riddick said Wednesday that the Steelers should<\/a>, and he highlighted quarterbacks he thinks are better than Howard right now.<\/p>\n \u201cThey have to have some kind of plan for the long term at this position. They can\u2019t always, every year just throw up their hands and go, \u2018Hey, look, we\u2019re kind of stuck in that purgatory type of state where\u2026we\u2019re not bad enough to really get a high round pick. We don\u2019t have really enough ammunition to really move up and get the guy that we want,’\u201d Riddick said on Get Up about the Steelers\u2019<\/a> quarterback situation<\/a>. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t have to be in the first round that you address this position, either. Maybe we can draft a Carson Beck later on. Maybe we can draft a Garrett Nussmeier, see if we can develop him.<\/p>\n \u201cSee if maybe that\u2019s a better option than Will Howard, who\u2019s in house right now. I think both of them are so I don\u2019t think it\u2019s ridiculous at all.\u201d<\/p>\n Time and time again this offseason, McCarthy and GM Omar Khan have had plenty of praise for Howard, whom the Steelers selected in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft out of Ohio State. Howard missed most of his rookie season with an injury. He didn\u2019t take a single snap in the preseason, so there\u2019s a lot of projection going on with the Steelers behind the scenes.<\/p>\n They\u2019ve shown some interest in both Beck and Nussmeier with Beck the name they\u2019ve been connected to the most<\/a>, both from a local perspective and from a national viewpoint. He could be had with one of the Steelers\u2019 three third-round picks and brings vast experience to the position having started more than 40 games<\/a> in college at both Georgia and with the Hurricanes.<\/p>\n