Pittsburgh Steelers’ possible 2026 NFL draft QB target from ASU starting to be viewed as first-round lock

The Pittsburgh Steelers will likely be in the market for a future franchise quarterback during the 2026 NFL draft after not landing one this past April and consciously choosing to stick with Mason Rudolph as a bridge option.

ASU’s Sam Leavitt has emerged as a potential late-first-round option, which is where Mike Tomlin teams tend to draft regardless of who is under center, according to Sporting News’s Bill Bender.

“Leavitt passed for 2,885 yards, 24 TDs and six interceptions, and he added 443 rushing yards and five TDs. He ranked fourth in the Big 12 with a 150.2 passer rating. If Leavitt improves his accuracy, then he could be a first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft because of that blend of mistake-free passing and mobility,” Bender wrote.

Leavitt led the Sun Devils to a No. 4 seed in the College Football Playoff and took Texas into overtime during their second-round matchup, a 39-31 loss. He’s a proven winner with a lot for NFL front offices to like.

As a minimally mistake-prone passer who has no problem calling his own number, Leavitt would be a fit in Arthur Smith’s offense if the son of FedEx founder Frederick Smith isn’t installed elsewhere.

Pittsburgh drafted Ohio State’s Will Howard in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL draft, and it’s possible he overtakes Rudolph by season’s end. Neither is seen as a long-term option under center.

Then again, there’s always the nuclear option that has loomed large all offseason.

Aaron Rodgers is still an option for the Pittsburgh Steelers

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler offered an update on the ongoing Aaron Rodgers pursuit that has consumed Pittsburgh’s offseason, claiming that there’s no “hard update” but that the franchise is hopeful the 41-year-old will be a Steeler soon.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Gerry Dulac revealed on the Dan Patrick Show that the George Pickens trade won’t affect the Steelers’ free agency pursuit of Rodgers.

“From their end, it doesn't have any impact at all on whether [Rodgers] signs with the team,” Dulac said on Wednesday. “... Aaron Rodgers didn't get to where he is as a future Hall of Famer by being an undisciplined, fly by the seat of your pants quarterback, which is kind of the description you can apply to George Pickens. ... I don't know that it would have been a good mix here anyhow.”

Rodgers has been accused of holding the team hostage by franchise legends. Ben Roethlisberger and Cam Heyward have both spoken up against Rodgers’ lack of reverence for the Steelers organization.

The franchise is clearly willing to look past that.

Rodgers doesn’t preclude a Leavitt pick. Even if Rodgers signed a two-year deal, Leavitt would be the kind of necessary high-end long-term investment Pittsburgh’s roster is lacking now.