The Pittsburgh Steelers know they will have to make a big decision after this season, as Aaron Rodgers has already said it will be his last season in the NFL.
Pittsburgh already has two young quarterbacks on its roster: Will Howard, in his second season, and rookie Drew Allar. However, that doesn’t mean they can’t draft a quarterback in the 2027 NFL Draft.
Pro Football Focus’s Gordon McGuinness published a mock draft on Tuesday and had the Steelers select Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss with pick No. 16.
“The Steelers can’t continue relying on stopgaps at quarterback,” McGuinness wrote. “Maybe Drew Allar or Will Howard is the future at the position, but it’s hard to pass on a talent like Chambliss. He has earned an 82.2 PFF passing grade so far this season and has done an impressive job of avoiding negative plays. He has produced a turnover-worthy play rate of just 2.5%, while his 14.3% pressure-to-sack rate is also impressive.”
Chambliss Has Been at Ole Miss For Two Seasons
Chambliss spent three seasons at Division II Ferris State before heading to Ole Miss last season. The 6-foot quarterback was the Rebels’ backup to start the 2025 season, sitting behind Austin Simmons. However, Simmons suffered an injury early in the season, allowing Chambliss to take over as starter, and he never gave back the job. In 15 games last season, Chambliss threw for 3,937 yards and 22 touchdowns while throwing three interceptions. He is off to a great start this season, throwing for 1,435 yards, 11 touchdowns and four interceptions.
Even though Chambliss has been impressive since joining Ole Miss, questions remain about his game. The Rebels website listed him at 6-foot, 210 pounds, and he will be 25 at the start of the next NFL season, making him an older prospect.
Chambliss likely won’t be one of the first three quarterbacks taken because of his height and age, which is why the Steelers could be a good fit. They could potentially draft him in the middle of the first round.
Steelers Should Still Draft a QB Next Year
Even though the Steelers have two young quarterbacks, Howard and Allar, that doesn’t mean head coach Mike McCarthy will want to start them. Howard was a sixth-round pick under head coach Mike Tomlin, while Allar was a third-round pick. Usually, quarterbacks who aren’t drafted in the first round don’t end up starting in the NFL. The Steelers need to secure their quarterback of the future, and it may make the most sense to draft one in 2027.
The Steelers likely won’t be the only AFC North team targeting a quarterback in next year’s draft, and the Cleveland Browns will likely target one in the first round to replace Deshaun Watson.
Steelers Predicted to Add 5,372-Yard QB as 2027 Replacement for Aaron Rodgers