The opinions found in Asked and Answered do not reflect the views of the Steelers organization.
Let's get to it:
STEVEN ADDIS FROM ROCKY FACE, GA: How many players drafted after the third round have been very successful? I would rather trade away lower picks to get a better first-round pick.
ANSWER: The NFL first went to a 3-day format for the draft in 2010, and so what you're referring to are Day 3 picks – rounds 4-7. For the Steelers since that time, notable players selected on Day 3 include – in chronological order: WR Antonio Brown, T Kelvin Beachum, ILB Vince Williams, QB Landry Jones, G Kevin Dotson, WR Calvin Austin III, TE-FB Connor Heyward, OLB Nick Herbig, G-T Spencer Anderson, G Mason McCormick, and QB Will Howard.
Looking at Day 3 of the draft league-wide since the format was adopted in 2010, here are some of the significant players picked in Rounds 4 through 7:
• QB Dak Prescott by Dallas in Round 4, No. 135 overall
• TE George Kittle by San Francisco in Round 5, No. 146 overall
• WR Tyreek Hill by Kansas City in Round 5, No. 165 overall
• QB Brock Purdy by San Francisco in Round 7, No. 262 overall
• WR Puka Nacua by the Los Angeles Rams in Round 5 No. 177 overall
• WR Stefon Diggs by Minnesota in Round 5, No. 146 overall
• Edge Maxx Crosby by the Oakland Raiders in Round 4, No. 106 overall
• G Wyatt Teller by Buffalo in Round 5, No. 166 overall
• CB L'Jarius Sneed by Kansas City in Round 4, No. 138 overall
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SAM CALENDA FROM ELIZABETHTOWN PA: You are around the team a lot, so in your opinion would you consider Will Howard a legitimate starting quarterback in the NFL, either now or down the road?
ANSWER: Coach Mike McCarthy is the guy with the impressive resume of developing "legitimate NFL starting quarterbacks," and he sees something in Will Howard to indicate there's the potential for development there. That's good enough for me, and then starting this summer in Latrobe, Howard will get a chance to prove McCarthy right.
CYNTHIA SUBO FROM GREENSBURG, PA: Apparently, Kaleb Johnson cannot effectively catch passes or block. How can an athlete go through high school and college without learning these vital skills, especially at an offensive position? Why would coaches not work on these missing ingredients in their young athletes?
ANSWER: The thing to understand is that the position of running back as it has to be played in the NFL is completely different than how the position is played in high school and in college. At Hamilton High School in Hamilton, Ohio, Johnson was a 3-star recruit who had 17 Division I offers, and then in his third season at Iowa he rushed for 1,537 yards, with a 6.4 average and 21 touchdowns as the unquestioned No. 1 offensive weapon for the 8-4 Hawkeyes. The coaches at Hamilton High School and Iowa were trying to find ways to utilize Johnson's running skills to help the team win; they weren't there to drill the individual skills Johnson might need in the NFL.
DAVID FRANCIS FROM OKLAHOMA CITY, OK: What is your opinion on an 18-game schedule? Injuries are already an issue, with teams going into the playoffs without stars. Should they expand the rosters a bit to help the workload? Do you foresee each team having at least one International Game each year?
ANSWER: The 18-game season is going to be something that's negotiated by the NFL and the NFLPA and then voted upon by the players. All of the issues associated with 18 games will be a part of those negotiations, and then if it's approved by a vote of the players, it will become the new normal. The only opinion on an 18-game season that I could legitimately offer wouldn't come until a few seasons after it was implemented. As Chuck Noll was fond of saying, "The proof is in the pudding."
MILTON MANION SR. FROM LOUISVILLE, KY: I may have fallen asleep or just can find nothing on the matter, but what did Indy receive for the Michael Pittman Jr. trade?
ANSWER: The Steelers acquired Colts WR Michael Pittman Jr. plus a seventh-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, and Indianapolis received a sixth-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft in return.
JOE SCHMAELING FROM PITTSBURGH, PA: There seems to be a lot of talk about starting Will Howard if Aaron Rodgers signs elsewhere or retires. If that happens, and if the Steelers don't pick up a veteran QB after the draft, doesn't Mason Rudolph give us a better chance to win this year?
ANSWER: Talk? Talk is meaningless. I am confident the people doing the talking know about as much as I do. Which is nothing.
BARRY HREHA FROM CHERRY HILL, NJ: As a longtime Steelers fan it seems their best teams have always had a standout center to anchor the offensive line. Do you think the Steelers will try to go after one of the best college centers in the 2026 draft?
ANSWER: What I believe is that the Steelers already have a quality NFL center named Zach Frazier, and he will be going into his third NFL season as a 25-year-old. Frazier has the skills, the focus, and the demeanor to become a future first-team All-Pro.
PAUL GASSE FROM LAS CRUCES, NM: I watched the NFL Films production of the Steelers 1974 season. Very much enjoyed it. What I noticed was TE Larry Brown making several good catches. He seemed to really become a target for Terry Bradshaw in the playoffs. I realize the offense was run-game first at that time, but what were Brown's regular season stats? Did his postseason in 1974 show more usage?
ANSWER: Larry Brown finished the 1974 season with 17 catches for 190 yards (11.2 average) and 1 touchdown. In the 1974 postseason, Brown caught 6 passes for 115 yards (19.2 average) and the touchdown that iced the win in Super Bowl IX. Brown went on to win 4 Super Bowl rings with the 1970s Steelers, 2 of those came with him playing OT, and the 1974 postseason was the receiving highlight of his NFL career.
JEFF LINTON FROM MORRISVILLE, PA: I was 12 years old when the Steelers won their first Super Bowl. The four defensive linemen were Joe Greene, Dwight White, L.C. Greenwood, and Ernie Holmes. Can you tell me what happened to Holmes? He wasn't with the Steelers, as I remember, for the other Super Bowls.
ANSWER: Ernie Holmes, a No. 8 pick (203rd overall) from Texas Southern in the 1971 NFL Draft, played 6 seasons with the Steelers (1972-77) and he started 58 games and was credited with 39.5 sacks. Holmes was big, strong, and intimidating, and as such was a significant force on the 4-man unit that came to be known as the Steel Curtain. Holmes was a starting DT in Steelers victories in Super Bowls IX and X. In the win over the Vikings, he had 4 tackles, and in the win over the Cowboys, he was involved in 7 tackles. After the 1977 season, Holmes was traded to Tampa Bay, but he was cut by the Buccaneers coming out of training camp. Holmes then played 3 games for New England in 1978 and retired. After football, Holmes became an ordained minister and ultimately died in a car accident near Beaumont, Texas, in January 2008 at the age of 59.
DAVID AMOS FROM KENOVA, WV: Doug Nester who is from our town and is a super young man has had a tough time getting a shot at the 53-man roster. It appeared as though he was going to make it last year but was cut and not even brought back to the practice squad until late in the season. What do you feel his chances are this year to finally make the roster?
ANSWER: Doug Nestor is 6-foot-6, 306 pounds, and played OT at West Virginia. He is one of a number of young players who gets a fresh start, because in his situation it will be a new head coach, a new offensive system, new blocking schemes, and a new offensive line coach. Nestor is currently on the 90-man roster, which indicates he has a shot at a spot.
DAVID LUCE FROM HENDERSON, KY: With the talk of the Steelers trading a couple of draft picks to Seattle for the 32nd pick, how will that work for the fifth-year option for both first-round picks? Is the 21st pick the only one able to have a fifth-year option or do both picks receive the option?
ANSWER: The fifth-year option refers to teams having the option to exercise a fifth-year on the rookie contract of all players drafted in the first round. It has to do with the slots in which the player was selected, not the team doing the selecting. The team that makes the 32nd pick of the 2026 NFL Draft will have the fifth-year option available on that player's rookie contract.
