The Pittsburgh Steelers are heading into a new era following head coach Mike Tomlin stepping down. While finding Tomlin’s successor is important, identifying the franchise’s next quarterback is equally important.
Who Are the Steelers Projected To Select in a Recent Mock Draft?
The Steelers have been in quarterback purgatory since Ben Roethlisberger retired. In PFSN’s most recent mock draft, analyst Reese Decker has Pittsburgh addressing this issue once again.
Decker had this to say about the prospect of Pittsburgh drafting Simpson.
“The Mike Tomlin era appears to be coming to an end in Pittsburgh, which also makes Aaron Rodgers unlikely to return, leaving the Steelers with more questions than answers. This has the feel of the Kenny Pickett selection all over again,” wrote Decker.
“Simpson has just 13 collegiate starts and is coming off an underwhelming 67-yard performance in the Rose Bowl. While there may be alternatives later in the draft with higher upside, this appears to be the direction the Steelers are headed at the moment.”
Decker’s skepticism about the Steelers drafting Simpson is understandable. Drafting a quarterback with little experience is risky, especially after having two rough outings in his final three college games.
In the SEC Championship game, Simpson completed 48.7% (19/39) of his passes for 212 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception. Then, as Decker mentioned, he had just 67 yards while completing 75% (12/16) of his passes in the Rose Bowl. According to PFSN’s CFB QB Impact Metric, Simpson finished the 2025 season ranked as the 28th QBÂ in the nation with an impact score of 85.4.
That said, he has plenty of intriguing qualities to make people believe he can be a good NFL quarterback. According to NFLdraftbuzz.com, Simpson’s strengths include being a maestro in pre-snap motion, an ability to manipulate defenders post-snap, good pocket presence, and good mental processing. His weaknesses include a lack of elite arm strength, trouble throwing deep, and ball security.
Simpson’s lack of arm strength could prove to be a problem at the next level. Most QBs who have weak arm strength are backups. However, good coaches could work around that weakness and still maximize Simspon in the NFL.
With the QB class in free agency being weak in 2026, it is hard to foresee the Steelers not drafting a quarterback. Since Simpson will likely end up being the best available after the first pick, Pittsburgh will need to do everything in its power to draft him. While risky, selecting Simpson could represent the Steelers’ commitment to fully resetting the position and ushering in the next era of the franchise.
