Insider hints Steelers' Mike Tomlin could have been trying to fool 31 other teams

The Pittsburgh Steelers' fan base is ready for the 2025 NFL Draft. There is a lot of excitement surrounding the team and the 21st overall pick, but the rumor mill has not stopped swirling in the Steel City. The quarterback position is in question, while there are gaps that need to be filled at running back and on the defensive line, among other spots. It will be very interesting to see which direction General Manager Omar Khan and Head Coach Mike Tomlin go once it is their time to make a decision. Trading back could also be a possibility.

The two decision-makers for the Steelers spoke with the media on Tuesday and had a lot to say about the upcoming draft. The duo didn't go into any detail about the team's plans, but were asked several questions about the quarterback position. A lot of pundits believe that Shedeur Sanders is a perfect fit in Pittsburgh, so Tomlin and Khan were asked about him specifically.

Tomlin glowed about Sanders when speaking with the media. With that said, the head coach does tend to sometimes play a game when speaking to a group of reporters. He sometimes is a little deceitful, and this could be on purpose. CBS Sports NFL insider Jonathan Jones also found this a little interesting regarding how much Tomlin spoke about Sanders, and took notice of it on Wednesday.

"Mike Tomlin just went on and on about Shedeur Sanders," Jones said. "It was very un-Tomlin like. It felt a little bit that, the more he kept praising Shedeur -- and I'm not saying he didn't mean any of the praise, all the praise could be very well warranted, and probably is -- but it felt like this was a little bit of a smokescreen, for some reason, for the Pittsburgh Steelers."

Jones also ended up asking the question of if Tomlin was just trying to give Sanders a boost because of the current narrative that is surrounding him currently as the draft approaches. The smokescreen comment is what is a tad interesting, however. The Steelers may want teams to believe that they are in love with the quarterback, specifically so a defensive line-needy team doesn't jump Pittsburgh at 21 to select an interior player on the defensive side of the ball.

Praising Sanders could have been completely innocent with no meaning behind it, but it's also fair to theorize if there was an ulterior motive. Both Tomlin and Khan knew that they would be asked about him, and could have come up with a plan to potentially change how other teams around the league may be feeling. No one is quite sure which direction the Steelers are going to go in the first round.

There is also a world in which Pittsburgh could be attempting to bait a team into trading up if Sanders is still available. It could be as simple as another team's general manager calling in to see if the selection is available for trade. Some teams to keep an eye on are the ones that have early second-round picks. All in all, Tomlin was right to praise Sanders because of his talent, but was there an extra reason behind why it was done just a couple of days away from the big weekend?

Steelers will likely draft a quarterback in 2025 regardless of how the board falls

Pittsburgh really needs help up front on defense. This is why it is probably smart to target the position in the first round. If Tomlin's words about Sanders, however, were truthful and how the coaching staff really feels, the quarterback could come to the Steel City. It is an interesting situation that is still developing, but there's no doubt that the first-round pick for Tomlin and Khan will remain a mystery until it is announced.