Once the Pittsburgh Steelers passed on a quarterback in the 2025 NFL Draft and began gathering ammunition for the following year, their goal was made crystal clear: they were prepping to make a big splash at the quarterback position.
In the meantime, Aaron Rodgers helped lead the team to the postseason, playing his best ball down the stretch. Perhaps, depending on how they fare in the postseason, the pairing could elect to run it back once more . At best, that's a short-term band-aid, and unfortunately for them, most of the 2026 quarterback class saw its stock fall down the stretch.
Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, the only signal caller that I felt warranted a first-round grade over the summer, has continued his magical run to the College Football Playoff title game. Excluding throwaways, the junior has as many touchdown passes (nine) as incompletions during this three-game stretch versus talented defenses in Ohio State, Alabama, and Oregon. Evaluators are going to love that his best moments seem to come in critical situations such as third & long, two-minute drills, and in the red zone. Mendoza would be a top-10 pick no matter the year, but in a class like this that lacks a lot of true blue-chip talents, he's likely going to be the first player off the board.
For much of the season, it looked as if Oregon signal caller Dante Moore was going to make a push for the throne, but bigger questions arose after back-to-back underwhelming playoff performances. His level of experience playing the position has been a big talking point since his ascension, with just under 700 career dropbacks spanning three seasons. He's an accurate, pro-style quarterback that has made real strides this year from a processing standpoint. But right now, things can go off the rails a bit when the pocket gets muddy, which is the biggest differentiator between him and Mendoza. Would another year in Eugene make him a better player? Yes, but there's a significant financial risk attached to that decision knowing he's a lottery pick lock. For now, I'm holding my stock as we await clarity.
The conversation surrounding Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson, who has already expressed his intentions on declaring for the NFL Draft despite offers from other schools, isn't all that dissimilar. His tape over the first half of the season showed promise, with a plethora of NFL-caliber throws on tape. When in rhythm, he's a fearless dart thrower on in-breakers over the middle of the field, and those anticipatory throws were the main factors behind his buzz. However, the second half of the season just wasn't as clean. Whether it was injuries, the tougher schedule, or the lack of a running game (or some combination of those things), Simpson struggled to overcome his surroundings. From what I gather, opinions on him as a prospect are pretty mixed, but fixing the accuracy issues has to be atop his priority list.
The depth of the class has taken some tough hits over the last month or so, with LaNorris Sellers returning to South Carolina and Brendan Sorsby securing a massive payday from Texas Tech. The NIL era has made it to where fewer underclassmen feel the need to make an early jump to the next level when they can get paid handsomely while still developing their skills on the job. Of course, that could open up doors for other players to reap the benefits at their discretion.
Ole Miss dual threat quarterback Trinidad Chambliss is fighting hard for another year of eligibility, and his playmaking down the stretch has helped his stock. Could any of the disappointing upperclassmen (see Cade Klubnik , Garrett Nussmeier, or Drew Allar) reemerge during the all-star Circuit? That much is unknown.
What is clear is that there is a very real chance that Mike Tomlin and company won't be rewarded for their patience come April when the 2026 NFL Draft takes place on their home turf. A two-quarterback class is better than what was available last cycle, but less than ideal for this franchise. With that in mind, a Rodgers reunion, or perhaps another veteran acquisition, becomes even more viable.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now : Bell: State of 2026 NFL Draft QB Class Clouds Steelers Pursuit, Could Lead to Rodgers Return
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