Could the New York Jets be involved in a monster draft-day trade involving a quarterback?
It feels like a stronger possibility after one of the latest draft-visit reports.
On Friday, Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart will visit with the Pittsburgh Steelers, according to Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Dart is the consensus No. 32 overall prospect in the 2025 draft class, per NFL Mock Draft Database. However, he is also the consensus QB3, which means in a QB-starved league, he could end up getting drafted much higher than his overall board ranking.
The Jets, who own the seventh overall pick, are among the QB-needy teams who have been linked to Dart as a potential first-round landing spot. However, the Steelers have rapidly emerged as suitors in recent weeks, culminating in their visit with the 21-year-old passer on Friday.
Pittsburgh, situated in the No. 21 slot of the first round, currently boasts a quarterback depth chart comprised of Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson. Quarterback is clearly a position of need for Mike Tomlin’s squad, and if the buzz around Dart’s ascension is real, the Steelers may have to climb the board to jump other teams in pursuit of his services.
Thus… could the Steelers look to trade up with the Jets for Dart?
Fourteen spots would be quite the leap, but it would allow Pittsburgh to jump the Saints at No. 9, who have been the most popular mock-draft landing spot for Dart within the top 20.
As Aaron Rodgers continues to drag the Steelers out, Pittsburgh’s desperation at quarterback continues to grow. It only exacerbates the long-standing quarterback starvation that has festered in Pittsburgh since Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement. With all of this pressure, it would not be shocking if Pittsburgh sought a major climb up the draft board to guarantee Dart’s services – if they like the Ole Miss product enough, that is.
By dropping from No. 7 to No. 21, the Jets could net a massive package to bolster their treasure chest of draft picks. According to the classic Jimmy Johnson trade chart, there is a 700-point difference between the value of the seventh pick (1,500) and the 21st pick (800). That is equivalent in value to the 26th overall pick.
Pittsburgh does not own a second-round pick in this year’s draft, so the Steelers would likely have to send future first- and/or second-round picks to make the trade work, on top of multiple picks in the 2025 draft. Netting a future premium pick would be a fantastic way to maximize Darren Mougey’s team-building capabilities over the long run.
Jets fans should hope that Dart crushes his visit with Pittsburgh, prompting the Steelers to become a legitimate trade-down candidate for New York.
