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Christopher Carter's NFL draft chat: 04.17.25
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Christopher Carter
12:00
AND WE'RE OFF! I'll be getting to your questions here right away!
Benny Fazio
12:00
If Sanders and Dart are there at 21, do you pull the trigger or do you wait until next year? And if you did pull the trigger, which guy would you take?
Christopher Carter
12:02
I'm of the opinion that neither quarterback is a first round grade. I have Shedeur Sanders as a second round prospect and Dart as 3rd or later. The Steelers should not reach for a quarterback this year and prioritize getting the right quarterback in a better class. If I had to pick between the two, Sanders. But there are too many players I grade much higher than Sanders for that to happen at 21.
Marvin P
12:02
Morning Chris - love your chats with Ray.  I still don’t understand why the Steelers would use a 3rd round pick on say Milroe or Shough when they could have had Milton for a 5th round pick. What am I not seeing?
Christopher Carter
12:06
Hey Marvin! Thanks for enjoying the show! I also thought a 5th for Joe Milton would've made sense. But he's also a big project of a QB. I think Jalen Milroe is too, but the only difference I see ther is Milroe is much faster (4.4 vs 4.62 in the 40-yard dash). But Tyler Shough is more of a polished rookie QB prospect who could be ready for his backup role much faster because of his experience.
Joe
12:06
Do you think the Steelers are seriously considering taking Sanders at #21 if he’s there? Would you?
Christopher Carter
12:07
I think the Steelers have done their due diligence to inspect the quarterback class. If they see what I see, I don't think they're really thinking about him in the first. Now, if Sanders falls to the second, maybe they make some calls about what it would take to get him there. But he's not a first round pick in my opinion. Quarterback is the hardest position to figure out though, so I could be wrong. But judging by his tape, his transition to the NFL could be very harsh.
MW
12:07
Sir, Name who you think the Steelers should draft
Christopher Carter
12:08
I'm a big Kenneth Grant guy. I know some people don't like him because they see him as a two-down DT, but I think he has real 3-down potential and will go a long ways to fixing their run defense.
MW
12:08
who does Pittsburgh draft?  Who should they draft?  Who shouldn’t they draft?  1 1st rd name for each.
Christopher Carter
12:09
While Kenneth Grant might go before the Steelers, if he does, Derrick Harmon should be next up. He could be their next Cam Heyward. As far as who not to: I'm going to pound the table that quarterback should not be on the table in the first round. Any of them not named Cam Ward.
AK
12:09
I’ve seen several fans say the Steelers should take a QB in the first round this year and then take another one in the first next year if the QB taken this year doesn’t work out, which shows that those fans clearly don’t get how successful teams draft. They don’t give up on a player drafted in the first round, especially on a QB, after one year. It’s not fantasy football! It’s a good thing Steelers fans aren’t GMs!!
Christopher Carter
12:12
Agreed! Most prospects take time and quarterbacks especially. It's why it's tricky to get a quarterback because if you take a shot at one, you're probably nstuck with them for years figuring out if they're the right one. And with this year not being a good starting quarterback class, I believe they should steer clear.
AK
12:12
Why do Steelers fans think that trading down is easy? Another team has to want to trade up, plus the team trading down has to be confident the player they want will still be available. Maybe that’s why the Steelers have only traded down once in the past 20 years.
Christopher Carter
12:13
Because most fans' experience with how trades work is through computers and not people. Whether that computer be a video game or a simulator, it's completely different from picking up the phone and calling another highly paid professional who has their own fully staffed front office of scouts and analysts and is trying to take advantage of you.
Already Into It
12:13
Chris, thanks for the chats! Do you think the Steelers have seen enough of Walter Nolan if he’s the only stud DT left at 21? Given his refusal to do almost all workouts and drills.
Christopher Carter
12:18
I think Walter Nolan has some good tape of how physical he can be. But I also think he has some maturing to do (not associated with his workouts.) He's the fourth DT option on my big board. But if the top three defensive tackles are gone, most likely a stud at another position is available. Jahdae Barron, Will Johnson, maybe?
Already Into It
12:18
Please tell me the Steelers will not continue last year’s trend of drafting mid 20 something players?! I thought I saw Troy Fautanu on the cover AARP magazine. ;)
Christopher Carter
12:20
Well, for something to be a trend, it would need to happen consecutively. While Troy Fautanu is 25 this year as a second year player, Broderick Jones will be 24 May entering his third year in the NFL. I don't think it's necessarily a trend for them, just how it works out sometimes.
AK
12:20
The last thing I want to see the Steelers do is reach for a QB in a poor QB class.  And taking a QB at 21 would be reaching in this class.
Christopher Carter
12:20
Agreed. *bangs table*
Pittfan
12:20
Hi Chris. Are you of the opinion teams that don't have a franchise QB keep taking swings until they get one? Meaning potentially over drafting. I'm probably in the minority but I believe Jalen Milroe should be the pick in rd. 1. That's because the Steelers don't have a 2nd and he probably won't last until pick 83. I've watched him in live action and on film: he reminds me of Hurts. He will have the opportunity to sit for a year behind Rodgers or Mason. I do believe they can get a starting DL in the 3rd.
Christopher Carter
12:23
I am not. If you take a quarterback in the first round, you need to give them time to grow. And   that should not be overdrafting a player and passing on foundational talent. I think the Steelers have the chance to get a skill player like that, and it would be a shame to pick a player they're almost certain isn't worth it. I think they have a better chance of getting that quarterback next year. Trade up for LeNorris Sellers.
Marvin P
12:23
The league is shifting its offensive emphasis more to the run game.  Given the loss of Ogunjobi and the bad run defense, shouldn’t a space eating run stopper be higher on the Steelers wish list?
Christopher Carter
12:24
Marvin, you hit on WHY Kenneth Grant is my top first round option. He's a space eater, destroys double teams and is athletic. I think it's very high on their wish list.
Pat from Ellwood city
12:24
Hi! Chris just wondering why they don't go after Will howard in the later rounds and add  Wr Johnson from free agency  to give him some  more weapons
Christopher Carter
12:25
Hey Pat! I think they actually will go after Will Howard. He's my sweet spot quarterback for them in the fourth round. I see him as Mason Rudolph 2.0. Would be useful for years.
Bill in LA
12:26
If Pickett were coming out this year, where would you rank him in this years class after Cam Ward and Sanders?  I would put him after Dart, Shough, Milroe, Howard, just before Ewers and the rest of them. A day 3 pick at best.
Christopher Carter
12:28
Kenny Pickett would rank behind Cam Ward but right alongside Shedeur Sanders in my opinion (if it's Kenny Pickett fresh out of college with no knowledge of what he did in the NFL). Honestly, I think Sanders is an interesting comparison with Pickett as neither had NFL size or speed. Sanders' accuracy is better.
Tom M.
12:28
There’s been a lot of talk that the Steelers should wait until 2026 to take a QB when the class, including Arch Manning, should be much stronger. But last year Manning backed up Quinn Ewers who we haven’t heard much about. How do you compare those two guys? Should the Steelers consider Ewers and if so, what round?
Christopher Carter
12:30
Eh, Arch Manning just didn't have the college experience over Quinn Ewers and they were a playoff team trying to win a title. Ewers is a good college quarterback, but doesn't have the traits that I think will translate will to the NFL. Ewers is a 5th round option on my board. Manning could go first overall if he blows up.
CoachT
12:30
What type of draft capital from Steelers 2026 picks would it require to move back into 2nd Pick in  2025 draft? Is or is that a difficult trade scenario
Christopher Carter
12:31
I think it would require the Steelers to trade back at least 9-10 spots. So you'd be looking at the Bills, Chiefs and Eagles' picks. But even then, it will be tough. I think a better chance for a trade back acquisition is an early third round pick, which is something the Chiefs have.
Tom M.
12:31
I know the 49ers got lucky with Purdy and he had traits that were overlooked in the evaluation process. The Steelers also took a flyer on a guy in the 7th round who didn’t even make the practice squad so there is also something different in the evaluation process (e.g. focus on athletic ability vs. softer skills). Is there someone this year who has similar traits to Purdy in the evaluation process that will also fall in the draft that could be a similar find?
Christopher Carter
12:34
Eh, Brock Purdy is the wild card of wild cards. I don't consider seventh round picks to be genius moves, otherwise you would've made it earlier. If there's a late round sleeper, maybe that's Ewers. But I don't think he gets to the 7th.
scottmonaco
12:34
trade pickens for and 2 or high 3 dont let him just wlk away next year with nothing
Christopher Carter
12:36
A reminder, George Pickens wouldn't be lost for "nothing." He'd be signed in free agency and you'd most likely get a 3rd round compensatory pick. I'd entertain a second round pick, but they most likely will get a third round pick for him anyway. Better to have him for a year and get a third than trade him away and get similar value.
Dan
12:36
First off, your articles are the most thorough , comprehensive and researched based of all PG sports. By most accounts, Shedure Sanders is rated as a top two QB along with Cam Ward. If that is the case, why does he keep falling in many mock drafts? I still think the Steelers should make DL  a priority in round one of the draft.
Christopher Carter
12:39
Hi Dan! Thank you for the compliment! Shedeur Sanders is my second-best quarterback as well, but I rank him as my 44th best player in this draft class. Sometimes you can rank high in a bad class, and that shouldn't lead to a team overdrafting them. DL is the priority in my opinion.
Chad
12:39
Morning Chris, With the amount of 2nd round prospects the Steelers brought in, and the idea of gaining ammunition to trade up for QB in 2026 draft. Do you think if top Dline prospects are gone, Steelers look to trade out of round 1 and pick up a 2nd this year and a 2nd in 2026. For example, trade pick 21 to the raiders, for pick 37 and 2026 2nd.
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