The Steelers had a group of past and present legendary players take part in the NFL Draft Opening Moment on Thursday night.
Among those taking part were Pro Football Hall of Famers Mel Blount, Terry Bradshaw and Lynn Swann, along with legends Ben Roethlisberger and Hines Ward and current players Cameron Heyward and T.J. Watt.
"It's awesome," said Blount. "I am honored to be a part of the Opening Moment. I am excited for the Draft."
He isn't the only one who felt that way.
"It's definitely an honor to be a part of the Opening Moment," said Ward. "Considering all the great players who have been through the organization, who contribute to the team, and give back to the City of Pittsburgh, for me to be a part of that is a blessing. To be on the stage amongst some of the other great Steelers players and to celebrate the City of Pittsburgh having the NFL Draft, something that most people probably thought would never happen.
"I love every moment of it. I'm super excited to be back. It's always great when I come back to Pittsburgh. I gave everything that I had to the city, the team, the organization, and the fan base. Steelers Nation still shows me love and I'm extremely honored to be one of the players asked to be a part of such a special moment. Anytime I go back, it's always a special feeling. Being a part of the Draft, being on the stage in the City of Pittsburgh where I played my whole career is awesome."
Roethlisberger shared the same sentiment as Ward, understanding what an honor it is to take part in such a monumental event for the NFL, the Steelers and the City of Pittsburgh.
"It's an honor to be asked to do this," said Roethlisberger. "To be considered, to get a call from (Steelers vice president) Dan Rooney to ask me to do that means a lot. With the rich tradition and history of the players that have come before me, and I've gotten the pleasure to play with, to be included in that group is just humbling and it's such an honor.
"It's cool and on a couple of fronts. To be there at the Draft, to be on the North Shore, to be around Steelers Nation. It's always something special, whether it's in Ireland, here, wherever it is, it is always great to be where the black and gold faithful are. But the other cool part is to go back up onto a Draft stage. It has been since 2004 since I've been on a Draft stage like that and that environment. It is kind of nostalgic."
The players have the pleasure of standing on the Draft Stage, looking out at hundreds of thousands of fans and seeing the City of Pittsburgh skyline in front of them.
"Standing on the stage and looking out, seeing that skyline," said Ward. "You feel the true essence of what it feels like to have played for the Steelers. The stage is in a great location, and you feel the great history and tradition that all happened right where the NFL Draft is being held. It's where Three Rivers Stadium used to be, where Acrisure Stadium is, and where the great sports memories all happened. I couldn't think of a better place to spend my time on Draft weekend than in Pittsburgh.
"It's a unique opportunity to show off the city to so many people. Teams that play us understand what Steelers Nation is like because we travel so well and they see how passionate our fans are. But there's nothing like a Sunday afternoon playing football in Pittsburgh and seeing the sea of black and gold rally behind the team. The passion that the fan base has with that city is like no other.
"That passion is going to be on full display during the NFL Draft, welcoming the NFL to the City of Pittsburgh. It's going to be rocking."
It's the perfect opportunity for fans around the globe to see what Pittsburgh is about.
"I've always said Steelers fans are the best fans in all of sports," said Roethlisberger. "To be able to bring the eyes of the world on the city, outside of a football game, for this spectacle that is the Draft, it's going to be really special. They get to see the beauty that is Pittsburgh, and I think there's going to be a lot of people who are going to have their eyes opened to just exactly what we get to see every Sunday when we're down there at the stadium.
"I'm just excited for the world to see that."
Watt, along with Heyward, are the only two current players who are a part of the Opening Moment and he doesn't take it for granted.
"It's incredible and the ultimate honor as a Pittsburgh Steelers player to be able to represent along with the brotherhood of other Pittsburgh Steelers who have come before us," said Watt. "When Mr. Rooney gave me the call personally and asked me to do it, it was an absolute no-brainer. I'm glad I will be up on stage and represent the city that has treated me so well and my family.
"Overall it's incredible to have the Draft in Pittsburgh. The city, they deserve it. They deserve to be put on the map. There's so much to love about Pittsburgh. I think it all starts with the people and the community."
This will only be the second time Watt has attended the NFL Draft, doing it the first time in 2011 at Radio City Music Hall in New York when his brother, J.J. Watt was drafted.
"I've only been able to experience a true draft night at the NFL Draft once when my brother got drafted and that was back when it was in New York," said Watt. "So, it was a smaller venue and I thought that was the coolest thing in the world at the moment. But this is going to be more than 10 times the size of that, in a much greater scale in our home city. It will absolutely be an amazing moment."
