The opinions found in Asked and Answered do not reflect the views of the Steelers organization.
Let's get to it:
ROD KEEFER FROM EDMOND, OK: It seems a foregone conclusion, based on mock drafts both nationally and among Steelers commentators, that the team will select a wide receiver with its first pick. Assuming a starting caliber receiver is selected (or acquired) at some point, how much emphasis do you expect will be put on the player's willingness to get his hands dirty in the run game?
ANSWER: First of all, beware of foregone conclusions based on mock drafts. Then take a moment to think about some of the best receivers in the NFL – Justin Jefferson, Ja'Marr Chase, Jaxon Smith-Njigba – and I doubt any of them have blocking for the running game listed high on their list of qualities. I'm not implying that a WR who can contribute as a blocker for the running game has no value in today's NFL, but I believe the much more significant qualities would be the ability to get off the line of scrimmage vs. press coverage, speed, short-area quickness, route-running, reliable hands, courage to work the middle of the field. If the Steelers would be able to draft a receiver with those kinds of tools in his skill-set, his value to the running game would come in forcing the defense to worry more about covering him than stopping the run.
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MAX MASHONEY FROM THE WOODLANDS, TX: When did teams (especially the Steelers) stop drafting the best player available regardless of position and start targeting the best player available at a position of need in the early rounds of the draft?
ANSWER: My sense of the switch is that draft strategy began to evolve more towards the "best athlete available at a position of need" once unrestricted free agency came into the NFL in 1993. As teams got used to a new landscape that included the reality of only owning a drafted player's rights for 4 seasons before they potentially could lose him to the open market, coupled with that same open market being an avenue to add players to the roster outside of the draft, the thinking about a new approach to the draft became popular.
STEVEN SALAMACHA FROM WEST FRANKFORT, IL: Why is there no confidence in Will Howard?
ANSWER: No confidence in Will Howard? Certainly you cannot be referring to fans, because I get bunches of submissions regularly touting the notion of simply handing him the starting job – "handing him the keys" is the phrase bandied about most often. If you're referring to the Steelers' level of confidence – and I have written this many times – Will Howard has a path, but he is going to have to earn it. Maybe a bad luck injury in training camp sidetracked him in 2025, but a rookie sixth-round pick who wasn't available to take a single preseason snap hasn't earned anything.
TAD DECK FROM LEBANON, PA: Do you think Coach Mike McCarthy will continue the tradition of training camp at Saint Vincent College?
ANSWER: I believe Steelers ownership still values a destination training camp, and the Rooney family over the years has made significant investments to that campus – building a couple of dormitories, remodeling locker rooms, upgrading the fields, etc. This is one of those areas where I don't know whether holding training camp at Saint Vincent College is going to come down to a unilateral decision made by the head coach.
JOHN PUHALA FROM SPRINGFIELD, VA: This is regarding Mike Wagner's interception of Cowboys QB Roger Staubach in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl X. I recall that Mike said that the Steelers knew what was coming from watching tape. He said that earlier in the game the Cowboys ran the same play, but he didn't make the adjustment. To me, it shows that the game is still more mental than physical?
ANSWER: No doubt that there is a mental aspect to playing winning football at the professional level, but I wouldn't go so far as to say it's more important than physical skills. For example, I could learn a playbook, and with some tutoring I also could learn to study video and determine an opponent's tendencies. But without the speed to cover the ground to get to the right spot and the courage to execute what I know/learned on a field containing 21 other professional athletes, that knowledge is far less valuable.
SCOTT RANDALL FROM CONWAY, SC: With all of Kenny Gainwell's success and numbers for the team last year, do you think we will be able to afford to keep him? Also, what do you think they will do with Roman Wilson?
ANSWER: I honestly don't know what to expect when it comes to Kenneth Gainwell's value in unrestricted free agency. There is no disputing Gainwell's contributions to the Steelers during the 2025 season, but here are some other factors that could come into play regarding the offers he might receive on the open market. In his 5 NFL seasons, Gainwell has appeared in 83 regular season games, but he only has started 6 of those; and the 50 percent of the offensive snaps he played for the Steelers during 2025 represented the highest single-season total of his career. Those two numbers – starts and snap counts – indicate that Gainwell has been viewed throughout his career as more of a complementary RB instead of a starter. Usually, how a player is viewed has an impact on how much a team might be willing to pay. As for Roman Wilson, he is entering his third NFL season but without much of a professional resume. I feel confident the Steelers will use the upcoming draft to upgrade their depth chart at wide receiver, but I also believe Wilson will be brought to training camp with a chance to earn a spot.
JEFF SHERRILL FROM MURRELLS INLET, SC: What do you think is holding Roman Wilson back? Is it his route running, or blocking, or missing assignments? He seems to have solid hands, and he was an exciting college player. Do you think he will get another look with the new coaching staff?
ANSWER: There is absolutely no point in looking back and trying to identify what wasn't working for Roman Wilson. It's a new coaching staff, a new offensive system, and a new play-caller. All of that adds up to a fresh start for Wilson in 2026. Now, it's up to him.
RAY RAFFERTY FROM DUBLIN, OH: Setting aside the hype surrounding Will Howard specifically, how do teams view a QB drafted in rounds 3-6? Is that low enough to mean the player likely is not skilled enough to be a starter, or are teams hoping to get lucky, or are they drafting for a backup?
ANSWER: Quarterbacks picked on Day 3 of a draft – rounds 4-7 – generally have been judged by scouts league-wide to have some deficiencies, and the hope is that those players can develop into backups. If a team believes a QB prospect has the tools and/or the physical makeup to be a starter in the NFL, it doesn't wait until Day 3 of a draft to select him. Yes, Tom Brady was a sixth-round pick, and Brock Purdy was a seventh-round pick, but if either New England in the case of Brady, or San Francisco in the case of Purdy, believed those guys were going to be Pro Bowl caliber QBs they never would have waited so long to pick them.
RON SEAMAN FROM SIOUX FALLS, SD: I read recently that the UFL has changed the points awarded for a made field goal of over 60 yards to 4 points. This past season NFL kickers were 12-of-22 on kicks over 60 yards. Could you see the NFL considering this change as well based on the league's desire for scoring more points while still protecting the safety of the players?
ANSWER: While the NFL has been known to consider rules changes after monitoring how those things have worked out in other leagues, my hope would be that all field goals remain 3 points. I really don't find anything particularly exciting about a field goal attempt, regardless of the distance, and it's especially not as exciting as a play where the offense is going for it on a fourth down vs. a defense fighting for a stop and a turnover on downs.
