The opinions found in Asked and Answered do not reflect the views of the Steelers organization.
Let's get to it:
KEN MAULDIN FROM CLYDE, TX: What are your thoughts on our 2 middle linebackers? Are they not too lean to be paired as a duo? Is there an old school middle linebacker who might be available in the first round?
ANSWER: Size often isn't the most significant trait for a player assigned with lining up in the middle of an NFL defense. Let me remind you that Jack Lambert was 6-foot-4, and while listed as being 220 pounds he often played at closer to 214 pounds. What contributed to Lambert being so effective at that playing weight was he was lining up behind DTs Joe Greene and Ernie Holmes for the first 4 seasons of his career. I believe Patrick Queen and Payton Wilson will similarly benefit from the investment the Steelers recently made in the interior of their defensive line during the 2025 NFL Draft when they added Derrick Harmon in the first round and Yahya Black in the fifth round.
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DALE GELLER FROM CAPE CORAL, FL: When does a player who ended the season on the injured reserve list officially come off?
ANSWER: What typically happens is that at the end of a season, teams will make an assessment of the players who finished on the injured reserve list. With some players, the decision could be to reach an injury settlement with an individual and then waive him. With others, the decision could be made to add him to the 90-man offseason roster. In the offseason, injured reserve doesn't really exist in the context you reference in your question.
TYLER JOHNSON FROM SAINT CHARLES, MO: With already having DK Metcalf, Micheal Pittman Jr., and Roman Wilson on the depth chart at wide receiver do you think the Steelers would take a receiver with the 21st overall pick?
ANSWER: I don't know that you can lump Roman Wilson into the same category as DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman Jr. at this point. I believe Wilson will be brought to training camp and be given a chance to compete for a roster spot and also a role within the offense, but I also don't think he can just show up at Saint Vincent College with anything locked up. It's different for Metcalf and Pittman.
DANA FISHER FROM ROCKPORT, ME: I have seen a lot of questions here regarding drafting QB Drew Allar. Why is everyone so enamored with him? I personally can think of at least 5 quarterback candidates I'd rather have.
ANSWER: I can only speculate about why "everyone is so enamored" with Drew Allar, but maybe it comes from his combination of measurables – 6-foot-5, 228 pounds, big hands, a strong arm – the fact he played at Penn State and a lot of Nittany Lions fans are Steelers fans, and that he had a really good workout at the NFL Combine, which was televised. Allar is one of the 4 QBs the Steelers have brought in for a pre-draft visit. And the other issue possibly at play here is that the Steelers hired Coach Mike McCarthy because of his track record of developing NFL quarterbacks, and the team currently doesn't have a guy who could be considered the long-term heir apparent to Ben Roethlisberger.
JIM GLUNT FROM EDGEWOOD, NM: Having grown up in Irwin, Pa., in the 1950s and 1960s, I had a chance to witness some really poor Steelers teams on our black-and-white television. But I remember some good players like John Henry Johnson and Buddy Dial on offense and Myron Pottios and Brady Keys on defense. The Steelers of the 1970s have quite a few players in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Did any players from the 1950s and 1960s make it into the Hall?
ANSWER: Yes. QB Bobby Layne played for the Steelers from 1958-62 and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 1967. DT Ernie Stautner played for the Steelers from 1950-63, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 1969, and he became the first player in franchise history to have his jersey retired. FB John Henry Johnson played for the Steelers from 1960-65 and was inducted into the Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 1987. And CB Jack Butler played for the Steelers from 1951-59 and was inducted into the Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2012. Stautner and Johnson were drafted by the Steelers; Butler was signed as an undrafted rookie out of St. Bonaventure; and Layne was acquired via trade with the Detroit Lions.
TODD McCANDLESS FROM WILDWOOD, MO: Like so many others, I love Asked and Answered. You are never allowed to retire. Also, I agree 100 percent that it is the QB who steps up in the big moments that counts most. For example, a short time ago you recapped Ben Rothlisberger's fourth-quarter successes. Could you please recap the big-moment performances of Will Howard?
ANSWER: During Ohio State's 4-game run to the 2024 National Championship – playoff wins over Tennessee, Oregon, Texas, and Notre Dame – Will Howard completed 71.3 percent of his passes for 1,115 yards, with 8 touchdowns, 2 interceptions, and a rating of 119.1 based on the NFL's formula. He also rushed for 57 yards on 16 carries vs. Notre Dame. That stretch provided the biggest moments in Howard's college career.
JIM ANDERSON FROM TOLEDO, OH: Will you be in the draft room during the draft?
ANSWER: No. During my 39 years working for the Steelers, I have never been in the Draft Room during the draft. Dan Rooney once offered to escort me into the Draft Room, but I politely declined, because I just don't believe it's my place to be in there.
JAY PASS FROM FRANKFORT, IN: With all the talk about QBs, and playmakers, and wide receivers, is this offensive line up to the task of better than average run and pass blocking? It's hard to complete passes with a defender in your face on every play.
ANSWER: I would contend it's also difficult to complete passes without a full complement of receivers who can get open vs. NFL coverage and be where they're supposed to be when the quarterback wants/needs to deliver the football.
TIM SIVERD FROM SOUTH HILL, VA: Why does everyone seem to be down on Mason Rudolph? He has won some big games for us over the years. If Aaron Rodgers doesn't come back, I would have him ahead of Will Howard. I know the season Ben Roethlisberger got hurt (2019), Rudolph was mediocre at best, but that was a long time ago. I hope Will Howard develops into a good QB, but I'm sure Mason will get his shot, too.
ANSWER: Chalk this up to the fickleness of fans and/or to the fluid nature of playing quarterback in the NFL. In 2022, fans were complaining that Mason Rudolph didn't get a fair shot to win the starting job during training camp, and then after he quarterbacked the team to three straight wins vs. Cincinnati, at Seattle, and at Baltimore to get the Steelers into the playoffs in 2023 fans wanted him to be given the starting job in 2024. Now it seems as though there is a vocal contingent willing to give Rudolph's 2026 roster spot to Drew Allar or some other Day 3 pick. I believe Rudolph's niche in the NFL at this stage is as a veteran backup, and that's a valuable role on every team. But as I continually have been writing about Will Howard and any number of other players, jobs and roles are going to have to be won via competition that will start at training camp in July.
DAVID LUCE FROM HENDERSON, KY: I realize that this question has a lot of ifs, but if Aaron Rodgers signs and the team does draft a quarterback in the third or fourth round, would that put Mason Rudolph on the cut/trading block? Is a team able to put a player on injured reserve if they are not really hurt?
ANSWER: To answer your second question first, the injured reserve list is only for players with legitimate injuries. And to cut or trade Mason Rudolph because of a rookie drafted in the third or fourth round before a camp/preseason competition would be a mistake in my opinion.
MIKE STREB FROM DENVER, CO: You failed to answer the THIRD-ROUND PICK question. The user asked about third-round picks, and you changed it to Day 3 picks. How about you answer the question? Hines Ward, Joey Porter Sr., Mike Wallace, Alex Highsmith. I think Clark Haggans was a third-rounder. Javon Hargrave, James Connor. You totally missed the mark.
ANSWER: Here's an idea: how about you read the actual question, because it was you who totally missed the mark. Here is the question that appeared in the April 7 edition of Asked and Answered: "How many players drafted after the third round have been very successful?" Based on the wording of "AFTER the third round," that makes the subject the players selected in rounds 4-7, which is the definition of a Day 3 pick since the current drafting format was implemented in 2010. The players you listed all were fine third-round picks – except for Clark Haggans, who was drafted in the fifth round.
