OTL: Could Shedeur Sanders be Steelers QB of the Future?

There is a weird thing going on with the weather which correlates with the back and forth nature of NFL Draft season. It must be the middle of April. I guess that means we should look into more mock drafts. Let’s shake things up though and look at the AFC North instead of just what pundits have the Ravens doing. We need that middle of the month shake up.

Josh Edwards of CBS Sports did a mock draft that could give the Pittsburgh Steelers their quarterback of the future, Shedeur Sanders.

“Shedeur Sanders does not carry a first-round grade for me but he is a top-20 prospect at a premier position. Pittsburgh addresses a need while also getting good value in return. He will presumably be the heir apparent to Aaron Rodgers.”

This would be a very annoying move, so I’d like to advise the Steelers not to pull the trigger on this one. Sanders has a little bit of allure to him. You don’t have to be a big draft guy to know who he is; he’s the son of Deion Sanders who was his coach at Colorado. Sanders is known for his toughness and his confidence, two traits that Mike Tomlin could work wonders with.

I think there is some smoke (and potentially some fire) for two reasons. Edwards writes that Sanders may not be a first round worthy prospect, yet I said that about Bo Nix last year. I think it’s going to be a bit of an NFL trend for coaches with a championship in their resume to take a shot on somebody they just have a feeling about. Tomlin and Sanders could be a match, and there’s an energy to this potential pairing. Secondly, the Steelers can only kick the can down the road so long before they take a legitimate stab at finding Ben Roethlisberger’s true successor. It’s been a few unserious years at the quarterback position and the Steelers have to wake up.

Speaking of Colorado, Edwards has the Browns taking Travis Hunter.

The Browns are an analytically driven organization. Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter would be a great addition but Travis Hunter could conceivably fill two roles for the team. Cleveland has had trouble scoring and needs players with more explosive attributes on offense.

I’m skeptical that Hunter will play two positions in the NFL, so let’s call him a wide receiver for now. If I were them I’d go for another edge rusher to pair with Myles Garrett because that doesn’t sound fair. The AFC North though, is becoming the wide receiver division. I guess Eric DeCosta should keep looking at pass rushers and defensive backs.

Edwards has the Bengals taking a defensive lineman in Shemar Stewart.

Former first-round pick Myles Murphy has yet to have his breakout in Cincinnati and Trey Hendrickson‘s future with the organization is murky. The Bengals may need another pass rusher opposite Myles Murphy, but they certainly would in the event Hendrickson departs.

he Bengals have the offense. Anything defense makes sense for them. It’s pretty much that simple.

Finally, Edwards has the Ravens a defensive lineman from Michigan, Kenneth Grant:

Baltimore brings in Kenneth Grant to pair with Nnamdi Madubuike to upgrade the run defense. He will allow those linebackers to stay clean on late developing pressure.

Jim Harbaugh may not be there any longer, but the Michigan-to-Baltimore pipeline is still up and running? I don’t hate this. The one thing about Grant is that he’s absolutely massive. Building with size on the defensive line is always a good idea. I think there are more exciting options like Shavon Revel Jr., who is a cornerback Edwards has going to the Buffalo Bills a couple spots later. I don’t hate it though. This is a solid and sensible option.

Glenn Erby of Ravens Wire did a seven round mock draft that starts out with two defensive players. His first selection for the purple and black is an edge rusher out of Texas A&M, Nic, Scourton.

Scourton is built like and plays like a Raven. Scourton was one of the highest-rated transfers ahead of the 2024 season due to his combination of size and speed. Standing at 6-4 280 pounds, he had 10 sacks and 50 tackles in his 2023 season at Purdue and finished his career at Texas A&M with five sacks, a forced fumble, 37 tackles, and two passes defended.

This is a prospect who passes the eye test and has production on his resume. That’s the kind of thing I like to see in a potential first round pick. The Ravens need pass rushers and it would be nice to lean on some young pass rushers for once. That’s not a dig at Kyle Van Noy, who led the Ravens in sacks last season at the age of 34; it would just be nice to see a rookie scraping by offensive tackles making plays for the defense.

Erby awards the Ravens a cornerback in the second round. Azareye’h Thomas from Florida State is his projection:

Thomas is a smooth, fluid athlete who started all 12 games at cornerback and was second on the team with 52 tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss and four pass breakups. Thomas is an intriguing cornerback prospect from Florida State who combines impressive length and size with promising physical tools at 6’1″ and 191.

I’d like to hear more about prospects with ball skills. Cornerbacks who can take the football away are game changers. Still this sounds like a solid prospect. The thing that stands out is that it fits the mold the Ravens have at the position. 6’1” 191 pounds is in the Marlon Humphrey, Jimmy Smith, Chris McAlister range. If Thomas has the heart and toughness of these Ravens legends, he’ll fit right in.

Wake me up when they do it. I am excited about every season. I live and die with every snap just like you do. 2025 is another chance to win the Super Bowl. We already know the Ravens should do it. It’s about finishing the battle this time.

No matter how bad things feel sometimes, we’ve never seen a Ravens team bad enough to get the number one pick. That’s kind of cool. And with that I’ll leave you to your Monday.

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