Steelers fans excited with new draft picks as attention turns toward 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh
A quarterback was among the picks the Steelers made during the final day of the NFL draft on Saturday.
The team selected Ohio State quarterback Will Howard in the sixth round, who won the College Football Playoff National Championship in January.
Many fans had been hoping the Steelers would draft a QB going into this draft, but not this late.
The Steelers are light on quarterbacks this offseason. They are still hopeful to sign Aaron Rodgers, but for now, they are adding some depth with this pick.
"I think he's a great pick from Ohio State. I think he's great. We need a quarterback, a good one," fan Doris Sefton said.
One Ohio State fan says Steelers fans should be excited.
"Oh, my gosh. Well, he won the national championship last year. He got his chance. He's a Pennsylvania boy, right?"
Howard grew up outside of Philadelphia.
"I loved him. Yeah, I did. There are a few moments where he was, like, a little questionable, but he bounced back in the game against Michigan, in particular," the fan added.
Zack d'Ulisse says Ohio State doesn't have the best track record of producing NFL quarterbacks.
"Maybe he'll be an outlier in that regard," d'Ulisse said.
"He could turn out to be the next Ben [Roethlisberger], you know, our guy for the next 20 years. I'm hopeful," the Ohio State fan said.
Most fans KDKA-TV spoke with feel that while Howard has upside, they think it will be years until he's a starter.
For now?
"There's just no real starter, no one who is going to take the role," Cooper Harrison said.
"I am concerned about it," Sefton said.
The current options remain Mason Rudolph or the not-yet-signed Aaron Rodgers.
"I don't want [Rodgers]," Sefton added.
As for the rest of the draft class?
"The Oregon pick was good," d'Ulisse said.
"And we like the running back," the Ohio State fan said.
"The running back from Iowa was good," d'Ulisse said.
"So we knew as a family here that they had to get run stoppers, and I think we did," Tim Nagy opined.
"I think the Steelers got good value picks," Aaron Pifer said.
Time for the grades.
"It looks like an A+," Nagy said.
Other fans also went with As and Bs.
Many fans took note of what analysts say is a better draft class next year.
Some see this as part of a rebuild, one where either Rudolph or Rodgers gets them over the hump this year, allowing them to draft the QB of the future next year.
Passing the baton
After the draft concluded in Green Bay on Sunday, Mark Murphy, the Packers' president and CEO, was joined by other Packers and Steelers representatives as the Packers handed the ball off to the Steelers, effectively starting the timer until Pittsburgh plays host to the NFL Draft in 2026.
Next year's draft in Pittsburgh will take place April 23-25, 2026.
