Steelers Hear Generational Buzz And Fear Missing Their Best Chance To Draft The Next Ben Roethlisberger In 2027

It is not a secret that Pittsburgh Steelers General Manager Omar Khan has felt pressure to find the next franchise quarterback. Khan’s first draft came in the 2023 NFL Draft, and since taking over for Kevin Colbert, he has done a solid job of keeping the Steelers competitive. However, he has not yet helped end the playoff drought that has plagued the organization since the 2016 season. On top of that, Khan knew Ben Roethlisberger’s career was winding down. Many argue he hasn't done enough to prep for life post-Roethlisberger. Now heading into the 2026 season, he has a 42-year-old quarterback in Aaron Rodgers, a backup in Mason Rudolph, and two low-risk, high-reward long shots in quarterbacks Will Howard and Drew Allar.

Mike McCarthy is known as a great teacher of the quarterback position and has developed star quarterbacks over nearly two decades as a head coach in this league. This task will be tougher than anything he has been asked to do, especially with Allar, who is still rebuilding and essentially unlearning what he was taught at Penn State. That shows how little confidence there is in him right now, although McCarthy does believe he could develop, which is why the team used a third-round pick on him in the 2026 NFL Draft. Howard has generated more buzz than a sixth-round quarterback normally would, but few have legitimate belief that he is the long-term answer.

There was noise that the 2026 quarterback class was supposed to be generational. As the 2025 college football season played out, that proved false. Now, Charles Robinson, senior NFL reporter for Yahoo Sports, revealed that he has been told by several league sources that the 2027 class is expected to be even better and potentially generational. Of course, that does not matter until the 2027 NFL Draft actually arrives, as Steelers fans learned in 2026. Still, hearing Robinson say this should give Pittsburgh a real chance to finally find its next franchise quarterback in the 2027 draft.

"All of this is to say that if Pittsburgh is left to go the more traditional route of actually drafting its next franchise quarterback, this is stacking up to be the kind of draft to make that happen," Robinson said. "Make no mistake, this isn’t anything near the lackluster 2022 quarterback class that left the Steelers taking [Kenny] Pickett in the first round."

The Steelers decided to take a swing in the 2022 NFL Draft and ultimately drafted quarterback Kenny Pickett earlier than he probably should've gone. Unfortunately, that move did not work out, and it has apparently left the Steelers’ brass a bit gun-shy about taking another big swing at the position.

Robinson does not believe the Steelers have anything to be concerned about, given how strong the 2027 class is expected to be.

"If anything, it looks closer to the 2004 class that positioned Pittsburgh to take Roethlisberger 11th overall," Robinson said. "Lest anyone forget, that draft also produced Eli Manning, Philip Rivers and Matt Schaub — who played for 16 years and had a handful of quality seasons as a Houston Texans starter before injuries changed the trajectory of his career."

Steelers Continue To Hear Great News About The Future

Obviously, the idea of finding a future Hall of Fame quarterback in that draft class still feels like wishful thinking. Still, the 2027 group is being talked about as one of the most promising in recent years. 

With so many exciting prospects expected to be in the mix, the upside is hard to ignore. One or more quarterbacks could emerge as true franchise-changing talents. If that happens, the Steelers may finally be in the right place at the right time.

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