Don’t Rush To Buy Steelers Drafting Jaxson Dart After Report Of First-Round Grade

The Steelers reportedly have a first-round grade on QB Jaxson Dart, but don’t rush to assume they will draft him. Even weighing the importance of the quarterback position, and their current need, there are more variables to consider. The scenarios are not parallel, and we’ll get into that, but a good starting point is recalling Mason Rudolph.

If you’ll recall, like Dart, the Steelers had a first-round draft on Rudolph in 2018. And if you recall that, you likely also recall where they drafted him. It wasn’t in the first round, or even the second, and it goes even further than that. It was in the third round, and with their third selection.

That’s right. They had a first-round grade on a quarterback in 2018 and they passed on him twice. We need to get into the caveats, of course, starting with the fact that they did trade up in the third round to get him. And the Steelers don’t have a second-round pick this year if they want Jaxson Dart.

But though unlikely, they could have first-round grades on 35-40 players this year. The Steelers could like Dart a fair bit and see him as a starter and still pass on him. The thing is, we don’t even know what a Steelers’ first-round grade on a quarterback means. Does that mean a quarterback they believe can win them Super Bowls and play for 15 years? Does it just mean someone they believe can be a starter for a while?

And it’s hard to believe they are as high on the quarterback class as they are on the defensive line. I can pretty much guarantee they have this year’s linemen graded higher than the player they ended up drafting in the first round in 2018, too, which was S Terrell Edmunds. Everyone considered that a reach, and yet they still didn’t draft Mason Rudolph there. Or in the second round. The Steelers should be able to find good value in the first round elsewhere, so why Jaxson Dart? Betting odds suggest he won’t be available, anyway.

Now, the Steelers’ circumstances when they drafted Rudolph were different compared to the Dart class. They still had a comparatively young and healthy Ben Roethlisberger and were drafting to supplement a championship-caliber roster. They don’t have a Ben Roethlisberger now, and in fact are looking for one.

But I think we may be making too much of things just because Gerry Dulac said the Steelers have a first-round grade on Jaxson Dart. After all, he also said he doesn’t think they will draft him. Not unless all of the top defensive linemen are taken, which is unlikely.

So in case anyone is fretting about the Steelers drafting Jaxson Dart just because they have a first-round grade on him, don’t. Of course it’s possible that they might take him if available, but it’s hardly a given. At the very least, there are things we don’t know. Do all first-round-graded quarterbacks shoot to the top of the list? I’m inclined to think that is not the case.