The Pittsburgh Steelers don’t exactly have a running back problem right now.
Jaylen Warren is coming off a 127-yard day against the Cincinnati Bengals, Rico Dowdle was signed in March after back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons and both are under contract through 2027.
But if Florida’s Jadan Baugh keeps running like this, the Steelers may have a hard time passing on him anyway.
CBS Sports’ Mike Renner has Pittsburgh earning the No. 15 pick in the 2027 NFL Draft, selecting Baugh, a 6-foot-1, 225-pound junior who has spent the first month of the season running through just about everybody Florida has put in front of him.
And Renner thinks No. 15 may already be too low.
Steelers Linked to Jadan Baugh in First Round
Baugh has been one of the biggest early-season risers in the country, and there isn’t much mystery as to why.
“This might be disrespectful to Baugh’s talents not to have him in the top 10 at this point, as he’s tearing through college football. Baugh has 600 yards and 11 scores in four games, averaging 7.2 yards per carry. He’s big, he’s fast, he’s elusive — what’s not to like?” Renner wrote.
Those numbers aren’t coming from one monster afternoon against an overmatched nonconference opponent, either.
Baugh has topped 135 rushing yards and scored at least two touchdowns in each of Florida’s first four games. His latest came against No. 4 Ole Miss, when he carried 29 times for 142 yards and three touchdowns in a 52-28 win.
That pushed him to 600 yards and 11 rushing touchdowns on only 83 carries. He already has more touchdowns through four games than he had all of last season, when he rushed for 1,170 yards and eight scores.
For Pittsburgh, there’s also the obvious part: Baugh looks like a Steelers running back. At 225 pounds, he has the size to live between the tackles, but his 7.2-yard average isn’t coming from simply falling forward. He’s shown enough burst and open-field ability to turn ordinary carries into chunk plays.
Steelers Already Have Decisions Coming at Running Back
Taking a running back in the first round would still be an interesting call for Pittsburgh.
Warren has been the better of the Steelers’ two backs through three games, rushing for 216 yards on 38 carries, a 5.7-yard average. He exploded for 127 yards on 17 carries against Cincinnati while Dowdle sat out with a toe injury.
Dowdle, meanwhile, signed a two-year, $12.25 million deal in March after rushing for more than 1,000 yards in consecutive seasons.
Neither player is headed anywhere immediately. Warren’s extension runs through 2027, and Dowdle’s deal does too.
That’s where a Baugh pick starts to make more sense.
By the time the 2027 draft arrives, Warren will be 28 and Dowdle will be 29 during the following season, with both entering the final year of their contracts. Pittsburgh could add Baugh without immediately handing him the backfield, then decide how it wants to handle Warren and Dowdle beyond that season.
There’s also the quarterback piece hanging over everything. Aaron Rodgers has already said 2026 will be his final season, leaving Pittsburgh with Drew Allar, Will Howard and whatever other options emerge next offseason.
A 225-pound back capable of carrying an offense would make life easier on any young quarterback.
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