Steelers passed on Shedeur Sanders to avoid Deion Sanders baggage: Insider 

Before the draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers were one of the teams projected to have an interest in quarterback Shedeur Sanders. The ex-Colorado star was considered a first-round talent and potentially a top-three pick. However, Shedeur ended up falling out of the first four rounds entirely.

In the end, the Cleveland Browns acquired him with the No. 144 pick in the fifth round, making him the sixth quarterback to be drafted this year. The Steelers, on the other hand, utilized their first-round pick to acquire OT Derrick Harmon. They acquired ex-Ohio State signal caller Will Howard in the sixth round to fulfill their quarterback needs.

Before the draft, they were one of the teams in desperate need of a quarterback for the upcoming season. However, despite the urgency, they decided to pass up on someone like Shedeur Sanders completely. However, NFL insider Ray Fittipaldo has a reason behind this decision.

On Thursday, during an appearance on 93.7 The Fan, Fittipaldo said he believes the reason why the Steelers didn't draft Shedeur Sanders was because they didn't want to deal with his dad, Colorado head coach Deion Sanders (via SteelerNation.com):

"I think, mostly, it had to do with, they didn't have a grade on him in the first five rounds. I think the second part of that equation, and this was never really discussed, you've seen some leaks with other teams across the NFL.

"Now, a lot of people just didn't want to deal with Deion Sanders and what that might be down the road after he's done at Colorado. So, I don't know if the Steelers felt that same way, but they did not have a top-five grade. A top five grade on Shedeur Sanders, and that's why they went the route they went," he added.

Apart from Will Howard, the Steelers utilized the offseason to convince Aaron Rodgers to play for them. After weeks of uncertainty, the four-time NFL MVP agreed on a one-year deal with the team on June 6.

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Shedeur Sanders is competing for a spot on Browns' roster

Coach Prime's son was not the only quarterback the Browns brought in through this year's NFL draft. Before him, they drafted Dillon Gabriel in the third round. Apart from the rookies, Kevin Stefanski's team also acquired veterans Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett this offseason.

With Deshaun Watson still rehabilitating from his injury, it is a four-way contest on the Browns' depth chart. However, reports state that Gabriel has been getting more first-team reps compared to Sanders. Following the mandatory minicamp, NFL insider Albert Breer shared his thoughts on the situation.

"He had a bigger learning curve than Dillon Gabriel," Breer said on 92.3 The Fan. "There were teams that were stunned by how little Shedeur knew relative to what they thought. He was pretty far behind."

(from 8:51 mark onwards)

Kevin Stefanski has yet to name the quarterbacks who have made the cut. Thus, the training camp and preseason will be vital for the rookies as well as the veterans to make their mark before their Week 1 showdown against the Cincinnati Bengals.