The opinions found in Asked and Answered do not reflect the views of the Steelers organization.
Let's get to it:
TOM MIHALIC FROM SUFFOLK, VA: What is your opinion of the Steelers' No. 1 pick? When the Eagles traded up in front of us and took Makai Lemon, did they reach? Or in other words did they panic?
ANSWER: In previous episodes of Asked and Answered, I had written that I hoped that in the first round the Steelers got an offensive weapon or a defensive playmaker, so when it was getting close to the time the Steelers were going to make the 21st overall pick, I was looking at one of the remaining receivers, or the safety from Oregon. I wasn't very familiar with Max Iheanachor at all, because I don't study college personnel and Arizona State football games on Saturdays don't get underway until way past my bedtime. But looking into him a bit after the pick, there was some video on social media of some reps of Iheanachor vs. David Bailey, the Edge who was the No. 2 overall pick in the draft, when Arizona State played Texas Tech. There also were some reps of Iheanachor from the Senior Bowl, where he held his own against top competition and was able to handle a practice run by NFL coaches.
No one will know which guy from a draft becomes the best NFL player for at least 4 years, and there is the unknown situation with Broderick Jones and the inherent fact it's difficult to identify prospects who have legitimate football skills, and then there's a very small subset of prospects with legitimate football skills who are 6-foot-5, 321 pounds. Iheanachor is that size, and he will report to his first NFL training camp as a 22-year-old. Teams have to draft and develop offensive tackles because trying to find good ones via free agency is difficult and/or ridiculously expensive.
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SCOTT RANDALL FROM CONWAY, SC: Can you explain to me what happened to allow Makai Lemon to slip past us? Secondly, was that OT the best option on the board after Lemon was stolen?
ANSWER: There were reports about the Steelers being on the phone with WR Makai Lemon when the Eagles worked a trade with Dallas to secure the pick above the Steelers'. I cannot tell you what happened, and I don't know the NFL rules that would apply to such a situation. This is the exchange during the post-draft media session with GM Omar Kahn and Coach Mike McCarthy:
Q. We haven't talked to you since the reports came out; you guys had been on the phone with Makai (Lemon). Can you take us through the curveball, take us through the moments that kind of ensued after that?
OMAR KHAN: "When the Draft happens, there's a lot of excitement that goes on. There was no ill intent; made the call. As I mentioned, when you have a good process and you trust your board, but the Draft throws curveballs at you in every round. Trust me, it happens throughout the Draft, some public, some not. Things just sort of take care of themselves."
As Thursday evening wore on, the pick of Max Iheanachor grew on me. The only issue was wanting the Steelers to get a weapon to add to the mix at wide receiver, and then when they traded up a bit in the second round to pick Germie Bernard, I looked at the WRs picked between Iheanachor and Bernard, and I believe the Steelers still got the best one. Again, that issue won't become clear for 4-5 years, but the more Alabama video I saw, coupled with what I heard from Makai Lemon in interviews at the Combine and after being picked by the Eagles … I'll take Bernard.
DONNIE BROWN FROM VAN BUREN, ME: Just from recent memory, it seems like the Steelers do a good job of getting quality offensive linemen in Round 1. Injuries have happened recently, but in your opinion, when was the last time they missed on a first round OL pick?
ANSWER: Jamain Stephens, an OT from North Carolina A&T was the 29th overall pick in the 1996 NFL Draft. In 1998 Stephens started 10 games at RT for the Steelers, and in 1999 he failed the conditioning test at Saint Vincent College and was waived that evening.
GREG JENKINS FROM MADISON, WI: My question is in regard to Darnell Washington. Would the Steelers ever consider moving him to tackle like Alejandro Villaneuva? He has the size, build, and movement to be a formidable tackle and given the monetary value of the position, it may be advantageous for him to make the move.
ANSWER: This is the time of the year when I start getting the "move Darnell Washington to tackle" letters, and those usually continue until training camp opens and then they stop. They stop when Washington shows what he can do as a blocker and a receiver. Go to YouTube and search "Darnell Washington highlights." That's why he's a tight end.
JAY BONCHAK FROM MCKEES ROCKS, PA: Several decades ago I read that the Steelers were in a subgroup with other teams to pool their resources spent on scouting college draft eligible players. The group was called BLESTO and consisted of the teams (B)rowns, (L)ions, (E)agles, (S)teelers. Does that subgroup still exist, and if so are their scouting reports graded against the other scouting reports?
ANSWER: Yes, BLESTO still exists, and to understand how it operates – it's to combine scouting reports from the member teams and distribute them to the other member teams. The member teams each employ a BLESTO scout who is involved with a lot of that work, and I would imagine the quality of that work would be evaluated/graded by the participating teams.
DONNIE BROWN FROM VAN BUREN, ME: During Ben Roethliberger's career as the Steelers starting QB they had several backups who were able to step in and win, or at least not lose football games. Charlie Batch, Byron Leftwitch, Mason Rudolph. Even Duck Hodges to name a few. My question is, what are the backup QB win-loss records during Ben's tenure?
ANSWER: Here are the records for quarterbacks who started games when Ben Roethlisberger did not from 2005-21:
• Charlie Batch 6-3; Tommy Maddox 0-2; Landry Jones 3-2; Dennis Dixon 2-1; Byron Leftwich 0-1; Mike Vick 2-1; Mason Rudolph 5-4-1; Devlin Hodges 3-3.
DANIEL PARDUE FROM STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN: Do drafted rookies have to make the 53-man roster to get paid in accordance with their rookie contract?
ANSWER: In terms of salary, players who are on the 53-man roster or injured reserve are paid their salaries as outlined in their contracts. That's why NFL contracts have signing bonuses, which are paid when the contracts are signed.
DON HEISER FROM KANNAPOLIS, NC: Thanks for doing this forum week in and week out. My question is this: During the draft, each team is allowed a finite time to make their pick. In the first round this year it was 8 minutes. Has any team ever not submitted their pick in the allotted time in any round and what are the ramifications if the pick is not received in time?
ANSWER: When a team that is on the clock does not get its pick in before the time expires, the team next in the picking order can vault that team by getting its choice into the NFL. If that happens, the vaulting team gets the player it picked, and then the next team in order can do the same and so on. The initial team that was vaulted can stop its slide by getting its pick in. I remember that happening in 2003 when Minnesota (picking 7th overall) was vaulted by both Jacksonville and Carolina before turning in its pick of DT Kevin Williams, who turned out to be a 5-time first-team All-Pro.
SUNIL GEORGE FROM PRINCETON, NJ: The purpose of the draft is not to win public consensus but to bring in players who can enable the team to win games. I like that we drafted a guy who can play right tackle, which means Troy Fautanu will move to left tackle.
ANSWER: I remember Dan Rooney once saying that the problem with "draftniks" is that they "think the object is to win the draft, but the real object is to win the Super Bowl." In the end, it should be about what can make the team better.
DAVID LEWELLEN FROM GLENDALE, WI: Regarding your comment on April 21 about in-person scouting: If a scout can't measure a college athlete's "hearts and smarts" from the press box, then what is the point of in-person scouting nowadays? Are pro scouts allowed to talk to college players before or after their games?
ANSWER: NFL scouts can attend college games, and typically are given pre-game field access where they are able to get a closeup view of warmups and interactions with teammates, etc. Pro scouts do not talk to or interview college players before or after college games.
JERRY SMITH FROM MIDDLETOWN, MD: How does it work when a player in the Naval Academy gets drafted? Does he not have to serve his time on active duty?
ANSWER: In 2025, the National Defense Authorization Act was passed, and within that bill were provisions for elite service academy athletes, no more than 5 per academy per year, to defer active-duty service to play professional sports. If one of those athletes makes the team – in this case if Eli Heidenreich makes the Steelers roster he will serve as a commissioned officer in the Selected Reserve, and he will fulfill his military commitment through a combination of reserve duties, including recruitment.
