The Pittsburgh Steelers already know they will need a new starting quarterback after the 2026 season. However, ESPN’s latest 2027 NFL mock draft doesn’t have them finding one in the first round.
Aaron Rodgers has repeatedly said his 22nd NFL season will be his last, leaving Pittsburgh with Mason Rudolph, Will Howard and this year’s third-round pick Drew Allar.
The Steelers could therefore be one of the teams hunting for a quarterback next April.
ESPN’s Jordan Reid doesn’t believe Pittsburgh will be going that route. Instead, he projects them to select Notre Dame safety Brauntae Johnson with the No. 14 overall pick after the top three quarterback prospects were already gone.
Reid used ESPN’s Football Power Index projections to determine the draft order.
Steelers Predicted to Draft Brauntae Johnson at No. 14
Reid had quarterbacks Oregon’s Dante Moore, Texas’ Arch Manning and Notre Dame’s CJ Carr all come off the board within the first three picks.
That left Pittsburgh looking elsewhere.
“The Steelers are another team that could be in the quarterback mix with Aaron Rodgers set to retire after the season,” Reid wrote.
Instead, Reid pointed to safety as a position where Pittsburgh could need a younger long-term option, especially with Jaquan Brisker only under contract for 2026.
Pittsburgh signed Brisker to a one-year contract in March after he spent his first four NFL seasons with the Chicago Bears. He started all 52 games he played for Chicago and recorded 342 tackles, 21 passes defensed, seven sacks and four interceptions.
Pittsburgh also has DeShon Elliott, Jalen Ramsey and Darnell Savage among its safety options entering the season. Savage signed his own one-year contract in June, while Elliott is returning after an injury-shortened 2025 campaign.
That makes the position deeper for 2026 than necessarily settled for the future.
Johnson would therefore be a much longer-term investment.
Brauntae Johnson Brings Limited Experience, Major Upside
Johnson’s rise has happened quickly.
He appeared in only three games during his first season at Notre Dame in 2024 before taking on a much larger role last year. He played in 10 games in 2025, started eight and finished fourth on the Fighting Irish with 48 tackles.
His impact was even more noticeable when the ball was in the air.
Johnson intercepted four passes, second most on the team, while adding three pass breakups. He returned one interception 49 yards for a touchdown against Pittsburgh and also returned a blocked punt for a score against Texas A&M.
Notre Dame later named him an FWAA Freshman All-American.
“Johnson is my highest-ranked safety entering the season despite being relatively inexperienced,” Reid wrote. “His combination of instincts, ball skills and enthusiasm crashing downhill in run support makes him a high-upside prospect.”
That gives Johnson the 2026 college season to prove that one breakout year was only the beginning and that he can make himself a true first round pick in 2027.
For Pittsburgh, the bigger story might still be the position Reid didn’t select.
If neither Howard or Allar convinces the new Pittsburgh staff they can take over in 2027, the Steelers could enter another draft searching for an answer.
Steelers Predicted To Replace $5.5 Million Starter With ‘High-Upside’ Defender