Steelers Should Pass On Quarterback Prospect For Unusual Reason

The Pittsburgh Steelers are all but confirmed to be passing on drafting a quarterback in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft. However, that won't stop General Manager Omar Khan from trying to find a potential mid-round steal that could develop into a future starter. With the volatility of young passers nowadays, combined with Pittsburgh's refusal to tank and try to bring in an elite quarterback that way, Khan needs to take all the shots he can to finally find the right guy and stop bringing in veteran bridge quarterbacks that are well past their prime. 

There are many mid-round quarterback options for the Steelers in the upcoming draft, and they have shown interest in many of them. While making a recent appearance on 93.7 The Fan, draft analyst Steve Palazzolo gave his reasoning for why they should pass on one of the biggest names of the class.

"If you give me [Garrett] Nussmeier in a dome or in the South, I might say 'Okay, he throws with some anticipation, he does some nice stuff,'" Palazzolo said. "I just don't think it translates to the weather [up North]."

There is not a division that has to deal with worse weather than the AFC North. All four teams play in outdoor stadiums in a region that's full of cold weather and constant precipitation that can mess up the field. On top of that, the AFC usually runs through very cold stadiums like Kansas City, Baltimore, Denver, and New England. With everything Pittsburgh does, it has to factor in the weather to make the right pick. 

Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier has played his entire five-year college career in Baton Rouge with the LSU Tigers, where he had very mixed results. He is definitely used to the heat over the cold, as it is rare for an SEC team to travel up North into a cold state, especially late in the season. Louisiana does get plenty of rain, so that should not be too much of an issue to him. The big question here is if the Steelers see it that way or not. 

In recent years, the Steelers have moved away from focusing on the SEC and looking more into the Big 10. All but one of their 2025 draft selections came from that conference, and the one that didn't was Donte Kent, who played for the Central Michigan Chippewas. Clearly, they have taken the weather into consideration more and more as the years went on. That is expected to be the case once again in 2026.

Steelers' Possible Draft Picks Will Have To Deal With Poor Weather

So far, the Steelers have split their interest with 2026 prospects between weather-beaten schools and comfortable-weather programs. If they continue with this trend, they will most likely end up drafting either wide receiver Denzel Boston or guard Olaivavega Ioane, as they both played in the Big 10. There are not many other top prospects that fit that northern mold that Pittsburgh has grown fond of recently. 

For quarterbacks, it will likely boil down between either Drew Allar or Cole Payton. Allar played with Ioane with the Penn State Nittany Lions, which is not far from Pittsburgh. If anyone is used to the less-than-welcoming Pennsylvania weather, it would be them. Meanwhile, Payton had to deal with the cold a lot as the North Dakota State Bison were frequently in the FCS playoffs, which runs through December. 

Nussmeier must have impressed the Steelers’ brass in his limited time with them if Pittsburgh is willing to take him over Allar or Payton. Just because his dad worked with Mike McCarthy years ago doesn't mean he is the automatic favorite, however. He can't just rely off of pure nepotism, or else his career will be even shorter than originally predicted with his low draft grade.

What do you think about the Steelers passing on Nussmeier due to the weather in Pittsburgh? Let us know on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.

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