Steelers Snag High-Upside QB Anthony Richardson in ESPN’s Wild Trade Mock

Pittsburgh, PA – April 2, 2025 – The Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback roulette is spinning again, and ESPN’s Bill Barnwell just threw a curveball. In his all-trade 2025 NFL mock draft dropped Monday, Barnwell has the Steelers landing Indianapolis Colts’ enigma Anthony Richardson, sending their No. 21 first-round pick and a conditional 2027 pick to Indy for the 23-year-old passer plus a second-rounder. It’s a blockbuster swing for a team desperate to steady the QB ship.

Pittsburgh’s QB room is a mess—Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson boast just 21 career starts combined, and the depth chart’s still a ghost town. After Russell Wilson bolted to the Giants and Justin Fields jetted to the Jets, Rudolph’s back as a familiar face, but his 49.2 QBR and 30 candles in July scream backup, not savior. “They’re not trotting out Mason as QB1,” Barnwell wrote. “Time for a new future.”

Enter Richardson, the No. 4 pick in 2023, who’s dazzled more than delivered—2,391 yards, 12 touchdowns, and 15 picks in 15 starts, with a 47.0 QBR that hints at his legs more than his arm. Shoulder woes sidelined him most of 2023, and a 2024 benching for Daniel Jones (signed by Indy for $14 million) soured his Colts stint. “He’s a wild bet—exciting, not polished,” Barnwell noted. “But Pittsburgh’s the spot to unlock him.”

The Steelers’ offense—loaded with George Pickens, D.K. Metcalf, and J.K. Dobbins—offers a playground for Richardson’s dual-threat chaos, a stark pivot from the Aaron Rodgers chase that fizzled last week. Fans on X are split: “Richardson over a rookie? Gutsy!” (@SteelCityFan). “He’s a project—hope it works” (@BurghFaithful). With that extra second-round pick, Pittsburgh keeps draft ammo to bolster elsewhere. It’s a high-stakes roll of the dice—can the Steelers turn this raw talent into their next Big Ben?