Pittsburgh Steelers owner and president Art Rooney II made it clear that he would prefer the team’s quarterbacks all have similar skillsets in 2025.
That means if the franchise re-signs Justin Fields — the current leader in the clubhouse to be Steelers’ QB1 next year — Rooney would like a Fields-like quarterback behind him. FOX Sports One host and NFL pundit Colin Cowherd feels Notre Dame dual threat Riley Leonard could be that player.
On his February 7 show, just before Super Bowl LIX, Cowherd noted the similarities between Fields and Leonard’s game.
“I think, keep your eye on Pittsburgh in the second, third round, [for] Riley Leonard,” the long-time radio and television personality said. “A little like Justin Fields. Athletic, big, nice arm, young. I think Pittsburgh’s in the market to draft a quarterback.”
“It’s not a great quarterback year,” Cowherd went on, “but in the second, third round, you may get a little value in Riley Leonard.”
Potential Steelers QB Target Riley Leonard Is Coming off National Championship Game Appearance & Best Collegiate Season
After spending three seasons at Duke, the 6-foot-4, 216-pound Leonard had his best all-around campaign in 2024 as a member of the Fighting Irish.
Not only did he lead Notre Dame to a National Championship game appearance, but Leonard also posted a combined 3,700-plus yards and 38 total touchdowns when you factor in his rushing impact (906 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns).
His only other comparable season was the 2022 campaign at Duke — where Leonard achieved a slightly higher passer rating — but had far less team success and fewer rushing yards.
The Draft Network’s Daniel Harms described Leonard as a quarterback prospect that “displays dual-threat upside with accurate touch passes outside the numbers to take advantage of one-on-one situations with the prototypical build for an NFL QB.”
The downside with Leonard according to most assessments is his consistency, which is similar to Fields.
Pro Football Network’s Jacob Infante noted that “due to his inconsistency as a processor and in terms of his accuracy, Leonard occasionally put Notre Dame in difficult situations. His sense of pressure needs quite a bit of work, and his mechanics could use some fine-tuning before he hits the NFL level.”
Harms also listed “consistency” as one of his areas of weakness, and The 33rd Team’s Ian Valentino agreed that Leonard has a “good arm that will generate some errant throws.”
If the Steelers select Leonard, there wouldn’t necessarily be an urgency for him to start let’s say Fields has success. For now, he profiles as a developmental QB with upside, but not one that’s guaranteed playing time out of the draft.
Steelers Beat Reporter Urges Pittsburgh to Make Justin Fields the ‘Priority’ Ahead of NFL Free Agency
Most of the offseason clues have pointed to Fields taking over as the full-time starter in 2025, except for the fact that the Steelers have yet to confirm that.
On February 10, veteran Steelers beat reporter Mark Kaboly urged the team to make Fields the “priority” sooner rather than later, referring to him as a “lottery ticket.”
The basic theme of this long Kaboly opinion post was that signing Fields gives you the best chance at lucking your way into a franchise quarterback this offseason.
Russell Wilson is past his prime and only getting older. This quarterback draft class lacks sure things — plus the Steelers won’t have a shot at the best of the bunch either. And the crop of free agents is either too similar to Wilson or not much better than Fields.
“I look at Fields as one of those scratch-off lottery tickets – cheap, the odds aren’t in your favor of winning the jackpot, but it at least gives you a shot to hit it big,” Kaboly wrote within his post. He called re-signing the 26-year-old a “calculated chance,” but he also determined that it’s the Steelers’ best course of action at this time.
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