When you don’t have a quarterback, you search high and low for one. Sometimes, you reach for one. That was the concern in 2022 when outgoing GM Kevin Colbert and the Pittsburgh Steelers organization grabbed Pitt QB Kenny Pickett in the first round. It turned out to be a missed pick in one of the worst quarterback classes of the last 20 years. In hindsight, a reach to fill need over value. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler believes same story could play out. In his latest mock draft, he pairs the Steelers with Alabama QB Ty Simpson but shows his hesitancy in doing so.

“This is going to be a popular pairing in mock drafts over the next four months,” Brugler wrote in his Thursday morning exercise. “The Steelers presumably will be looking for a starting quarterback this offseason, and Simpson is expected to land somewhere in the back half of the first round. Would this be the Kenny Pickett route all over again? Maybe. But Simpson processes his surroundings well, especially considering his meager starting experience.”

The good news is Pittsburgh isn’t trading six picks for Simpson.

He figures to be the most-discussed quarterback in connection to the Steelers throughout draft season. Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza is poised to be taken No. 1 overall and Oregon’s Dante Moore chose back to school. Ole Miss’ Trinidad Chambliss’ situation is murky as he takes the NCAA to court in an attempt to go back for a sixth season.

Mendoza and Simpson are the only two quarterbacks selected in the first round of Brugler’s mock.

A one-year starter, Simpson’s stock rose throughout the 2025 season. He finished with over 3,500 yards, 28 touchdowns, and five interceptions. But he struggled down the stretch, playing poorly in the SEC Championship Game against Georgia and again in the playoffs against Indiana before leaving the game with a cracked rib. The one-year sample size coupled with a sour finish could give teams pause.

Pickett, for all his warts, had a far more extensive body of work. Simpson threw 523 college passes. Pickett attempted 1,674 and for comparison’s sake, Ben Roethlisberger recorded 1,304 in just three seasons.

We’ll offer a full scouting report on Simpson in the coming weeks.

Other notable selections in Brugler’s mock include two receivers landing in the top five with Ohio State’s Carnell Tate going No. 4 to the Tennessee Titans and Arizona State’s Jordan Tyson No. 5 to the New York Giants. Ohio State S Caleb Downs falls to No. 9 and the Kansas City Chiefs.