Steelers Quarterback Situation Yet Again: A Guessing Game
The Pittsburgh Steelers have done their homework on the 2026 quarterback class, and one name stands out above the rest as a potential mid-round target: Miami’s Carson Beck.
That’s according to Mike DeFabo of The Athletic, who reports that Beck took a pre-draft visit with the Steelers, and that Pittsburgh may view him as the strongest fit among the passers in this draft class. Beck spent four seasons at Georgia before transferring to Miami, where he threw for 3,813 yards and 30 touchdowns in 2025, leading the Hurricanes to the national championship game. He enters the draft as a multi-year college starter with extensive big-game experience, recovering from UCL surgery on his throwing elbow after the 2024 season.
Penn State’s Drew Allar also visited Pittsburgh, arriving on April 15, the final day teams were permitted to host prospects. Alabama’s Ty Simpson, who has drawn widespread media speculation as a Steelers target, did not receive an invitation for a pre-draft visit. DeFabo notes that Simpson’s limited starting experience in college has given the organization pause.
The Steelers are not expected to use their first-round pick at No. 21 on a quarterback. Pittsburgh holds 12 total selections in this week’s draft, the most of any team in the league, including picks at No. 21 and No. 53. Beck, projected to come off the board somewhere in the third or fourth round, fits the window the Steelers appear to be targeting.
All of this unfolding draft planning takes place against a familiar backdrop of uncertainty at the position. Veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers has yet to inform the Steelers whether he intends to return for a second season, and per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, no decision is expected before Round 1 kicks off Thursday night.
That is essentially the same situation Pittsburgh navigated last year, when Rodgers did not formally commit until June. His 2025 season was by most measures a success; he completed nearly 66 percent of his passes for 3,322 yards, 24 touchdowns, and seven interceptions while guiding the Steelers to the AFC North division title. Pittsburgh went 10–7 before falling to the Houston Texans in the wild-card round.
In the meantime, 2025 sixth-round pick Will Howard is set to take first-team reps at Monday’s voluntary minicamp under first-year head coach Mike McCarthy. Mason Rudolph remains the only other quarterback on the active roster.
Fernando Mendoza, the Indiana quarterback widely expected to be selected first overall by the Las Vegas Raiders, marks the clear top of the class. The drop-off after Mendoza is considered steep, which is part of why the Steelers appear content to wait and take their swing at the position in the middle rounds, with Beck firmly in the conversation.