Donnie Wrightside jumped on the Pittsburgh Steelers at +310 to draft Shedeur Sanders, noting that the price shortened from near‑even money on the Saints earlier in the week. He argued the Steelers are the rare win‑now roster that also lacks a long‑term quarterback plan; Russell Wilson and Justin Fields offer stop‑gap options but no future certainty. With Mike Tomlin’s defense intact and elite skill talent already in place, Wrightside believes Pittsburgh can afford to groom Sanders while still competing in the AFC North, making the franchise far more motivated than New Orleans, the Giants or the Browns to sacrifice Day‑2 capital for a rookie passer. At better than 3‑to‑1, he called the Steelers “the clearest value on the board” in team‑to‑draft markets.

Connor Allen said bettors should grab the Steelers to take a defensive lineman or edge rusher first at +225. Allen merged beat‑writer chatter with roster needs, noting multiple Pittsburgh reporters have downplayed quarterback interest while stressing Mike Tomlin’s desire to fortify the front four. The Steelers sit at pick 21 and have a realistic shot at blue‑chip interior or edge prospects such as Kenneth Grant, Walter Nolen or Derek Harmon. Allen argued that if the organization truly loved a quarterback—Jackson Dart, Jalen Milroe or even Shedeur Sanders—it would be maneuvering into the top 10 rather than standing pat. Because the betting board still lists QB as a co‑favorite, Allen believes the D‑line option is mispriced and should be closer to +120.

Evan Silva slammed the card for North Carolina RB Amarion Hampton at pick 21, saying Pittsburgh was shocked he slid past Denver. With Najee Harris gone in free agency and Arthur Smith installing his run‑centric scheme, Silva insisted the Steelers cannot roll out satellite back Jalen Warren as a feature option. Hampton averaged 4.3 yards after contact and forced 81 missed tackles last season—both higher than Bijan Robinson’s final college year—and posted a 77‑catch career profile that fits Smith’s screen game. Draft markets have Hampton’s ‘top‑20 pick’ at +150; Silva views pick 21 as the clear floor and suggests hammering under 24.5. Best‑ball drafters should bump Hampton into RB2 territory while downgrading Warren to pure handcuff status.

Ryan Wilson backed Jonathan Jones’ chalky projection of Michigan nose tackle Kenneth Grant to Pittsburgh at 21, arguing the front office is far less enamored with Shedeur Sanders than draft Twitter believes. Grant weighed 339 lbs at the combine yet clocked a ridiculous 4.88 forty, numbers that would give Mike Tomlin his most explosive interior lineman since prime Casey Hampton. The Steelers allowed 4.6 yards per carry in second‑level runs last year, and Wilson says their analytics department graded run‑defense EPA as the roster’s biggest weak spot. Passing on quarterback again leaves Russell Wilson and Justin Fields to battle for 2024 snaps, but Ryan insisted the organization is comfortable punting that issue to 2026 drafts if it means locking down the A‑gaps now. He highlighted the +180 price on “Steelers first drafted position: Defensive Line” as a playable wager.

McCrystal played "Jaxson Dart draft position OVER 21.5 (‑135)" on the premise the Steelers, owners of pick 21 and the only obvious QB landing spot, will pass. He called a Round‑1 Dart selection a desperation move Pittsburgh is unlikely to repeat after the Kenny Pickett debacle. Supporting evidence: Mike Tomlin and GM Omar Khan skipped Dart’s Ole Miss Pro Day—historically they attend every future 1st‑round target—and even the QB coach stayed home, leaving only the assistant GM and WR coach on site. Dart did visit Pittsburgh, but the franchise’s draft‑day patterns indicate Day‑2 interest at most, making the field versus pick 21 an attractive wager.

Thor Nystrom predicted that Pittsburgh will pull the trigger on Jaxson Dart at pick 21 and told bettors to treat the Ole Miss passer’s draft‑slot Under 24.5 (currently –125) as one of the sharper angles left on the board. Nystrom noted that two fringe quarterbacks—Dart and Jalen Milroe—received green‑room invitations, a signal the league expects one or both to slip into the back half of Round 1. Even if the Steelers ultimately land Aaron Rodgers on a one‑year rental, Thor believes the front office still wants a long‑term contingency plan and prefers a pocket passer who mirrors their Pickett/Ben era concepts. Dart checks every one of Bill Parcells’ seven QB benchmarks, owns legit NFL arm talent, and operated efficiently in both the Air Raid (USC) and Lane Kiffin’s motion‑heavy attack (Ole Miss). The only unknown is how he processes after the snap, but Nystrom pointed to similar ‘black‑box’ prospects—Matt Corral, Sam Howell—who still went top‑150. He advised pairing the Under 24.5 with “Team to Draft Jaxson Dart – Steelers” props that still sit between +450 and +600.

Because Pittsburgh lacks a second‑rounder, Wilson mocked Will Howard to them in round three. He measured 6'4" 236 lbs and flashed a big arm plus surprising athleticism at the Ohio State Pro Day after transferring from Kansas State. The Steelers took him to dinner the night before that workout, signaling real interest. Wilson likes the fit as a one‑to‑two‑year developmental option behind a veteran bridge if Shedeur Sanders is not available at pick 21.