The Pittsburgh Steelers passed on Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders in the NFL draft, and now former Steelers legend Ben Roethlisberger is defending their sixth-round pick Will Howard while taking a shot at other drafted quarterbacks.
Roethlisberger didn’t mention Sanders by name, but the context makes it clear who he’s talking about.
“He gets drafted sixth round and tears pouring down his face… his dream of playing in the NFL. At least he has a chance. Doesn’t mean he’s going to make it; sixth round, but he’s excited about it. You watch other guys, and they get drafted and are like, ‘let’s throw a party. Let’s have cameras,” Roethlisberger said of Howard on the “Sports Spectrum” podcast.
“I’m not trying to bash any one person. But you just see the difference sometimes in the love of the game.”
The Steelers reportedly didn’t grade Sanders high enough to warrant a pick in the first five rounds.
But there might be another reason Pittsburgh stayed away from the Colorado quarterback.
According to NFL insider Ray Fittipaldo, some teams wanted to avoid dealing with Sanders’s father, Hall of Fame cornerback Deion “Prime Time” Sanders, who coaches at Colorado.
“I think mostly, it had to do with, they didn’t have a grade on him within the first five rounds,” Fittipaldo said Thursday on 93.7 The Fan. “I think the second part of that equation, and this was never really discussed, you’ve seen some leaks with other teams across the NFL.
“Now, a lot of people just didn’t want to deal with Deion Sanders and what that might be down the road after he’s done at Colorado. So, I don’t know if the Steelers felt that same way, but they did not have a top-five grade. A top-five round grade on Shedeur Sanders, and that’s why they went the route they went.”
Howard’s emotional reaction to being drafted contrasted sharply with Sanders’s draft night celebration, which featured cameras and social media coverage.
The Steelers have historically valued players who fit their culture and work ethic. Roethlisberger’s comments suggest the organization prefers Howard’s approach to the game over Sanders’s more public persona.
It’s unclear exactly why Pittsburgh passed on Sanders, but the combination of their draft grade and potential concerns about outside distractions apparently influenced their decision.
