The opinions found in Asked and Answered do not reflect the views of the Steelers organization.
Let's get to it:
JIM BAYLES FROM EASTAMPTON, NJ: Last week you were asked about the 1974 Draft Class with 4 players going into the Hall of Fame. Which overall draft class put the most players in the Hall of Fame?
ANSWER: I will repeat the answer to that submission in the May 1 edition of Asked and Answered: "The Steelers Draft Class of 1974 netted 4 Hall of Fame players as draft picks – Lynn Swann, Jack Lambert, John Stallworth, and Mike Webster – plus a fifth as an undrafted rookie in Donnie Shell. In terms of draft picks, those 4 Hall of Fame players represent the most of any team since the NFL instituted the draft in 1936, which qualifies the Steelers 1974 Draft Class as the best in league history."
Three teams had Draft Classes that produced 3 Hall of Fame players: The 1964 Dallas Cowboys with Mel Renfro, Bob Hayes, and Roger Staubach; the 1958 Green Bay Packers, with Jim Taylor, Rat Nitschke, and Jerry Kramer; and the 1957 Browns with Jim Brown, Henry Jordan, and Gene Hickerson. However, it should be noted that the Browns traded Henry Jordan to the Packers for a No. 4 pick after the 1959 season, and it was in Green Bay where he blossomed into a Hall of Fame player.
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DON SEGRETI FROM NORTH RICHLAND HILLS, TX: When it comes to the Steelers QB situation, all the talk is about Aaron Rogers and/or who they should have drafted or traded for. No one ever mentions Mason Rudolph in a positive light. Could you please spend some time and give us some background information, high school-college, on what he has accomplished and remind folks that he was a third-round draft choice.
ANSWER: Mason Rudolph came to the Steelers as a third-round pick (76th overall) in the 2018 NFL Draft from Oklahoma State. In 4 college seasons, Rudolph played in 42 games and completed 63.2 percent for 13,618 yards, 92 touchdowns, and 26 interceptions. In his final college season, he led the Big 12 in yards passing (4,902) and yards gained per game played (377.2).
He will be 30 years old when training camp opens. In 4 seasons with the Steelers, Rudolph has appeared in 21 games with 13 starts, and his record as a starter is 8-4-1. He completed 63.5 percent for the Steelers, with 19 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, and a rating of 86.9. In 2023, Rudolph became the starter of a 7-7 Steelers team on Dec. 23. He quarterbacked the team to 3 straight wins – over the Bengals, at Seattle, and at Baltimore – by completing 74.1 percent, with 3 touchdowns, no interceptions, and a rating of 120.4 – and the Steelers qualified for the playoffs.
CASEY McDONALD FROM MONTGOMERY, AL: This isn't much of a question, but someone mentioned Levon Kirkland in a previous Asked and Answered, and as a kid he was one of my favorite players. I had the chance to chat with him on social media, and he is also a super nice dude. So kudos to Levon Kirkland. He was a great run-stuffing linebacker.
ANSWER: No argument with your compliment for Levon Kirkland as a run-stuffer, but it's also fair to repeat that he also had 18.5 sacks, 11 interceptions, 20 passes defensed, 16 forced fumbles, and 9 fumble recoveries. Kirkland was a very good player, well-liked/respected by his teammates, and always conducted himself as a professional. He was an important part of a defense that was one of the best in the NFL in its era.
JAY BISHOP FROM ENID, OK: If Mason Rudolph is the starter, has a great season, and wins 1 or 2 games as the starting quarterback in the playoffs, would that make it a sure thing he would probably be offered a multi-season contract by the Steelers for the future?
ANSWER: A sure thing? The only sure things in life are death and taxes.
DAVID HAYES FROM HARTSELLE, AL: T.J. Watt is in his 30s. While his time with Steelers has flown by, I think he wants to finish his career as a Steeler. I know T.J. will have to get a large chunk of our salary cap, but this should not affect signing a fourth quarterback to the 90-man roster, right?
ANSWER: The Steelers have situated themselves in good enough position with the salary cap to be able to do both – a contract extension with T.J. Watt and adding a fourth quarterback to the roster.
BRENDAN CAMMILLERI FROM PALM BAY, FL: With the 3rd-round pick in the recent draft being Kaleb Johnson, do you see him being the clearcut starter at RB over Jaylen Warren? I'd imagine Johnson is going to be the 3-down back with his skill-set being very similar to what Najee Harris was for us.
ANSWER: As Lee Corso often said on the set of ESPN's College GameDay: "Not so fast, my friend." Do not discount Jaylen Warren and what he can do and is willing to do to be an every-down back in the NFL. In situations such as this one – a rookie coming into the NFL and competing for playing time and touches with a 3-year veteran who has averaged 4.8 yards as a runner, has 127 catches that netted 49 first downs as a receiver, and is a willing and accomplished blocker in pass protection, there has been some goodwill generated with the coaching staff in terms of the been-there, done-that factor.
ROBERT YEAGER CANYON COUNTRY, CA: In your May 1 Asked and Answered, you listed Steelers uniform numbers that you consider unassignable, i.e. "untouchable" per the submitter. My question is why aren't John Henry Johnson's number (35), John Stallworth's number (82) and Lynn Swann's number (88) considered "unassignable"? Especially given their accomplishments and high-profile reputations while they were with the Steelers.
ANSWER: It wasn't until rather recently that wide receivers and tight ends could wear uniform numbers in the teens, and so it just wasn't possible to make No. 82 and No. 88 unassignable, because there usually are more than 10 wide receivers on 90-man rosters. John Henry Johnson was a great Steelers player who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but he also played in the Canadian Football League, and for the San Francisco 49ers and the Detroit Lions before coming to the Steelers. The Steelers have a rich history, and it's just not possible to take all these numbers out of circulation in an era when rosters reach 90 players. The math just doesn't work.
PAUL PYSH FROM KIAWAH ISLAND, SC: Can undrafted free agents who sign with a team be traded? For example, Ben Sauls was an excellent college kicker. I was surprised he went undrafted. The Steelers signed him, but the Steelers have Chris Boswell. Is it a savvy move that could result in more draft capital in 2026?
ANSWER: I see the signing of Ben Sauls as a win-win for both sides, because the player is going to get a lot of work/exposure during training camp and the preseason because the Steelers won't want to burn-out Chris Boswell, and the team gets a competent leg for practices and preseason games, plus an up-close look and a chance to work with a guy who eventually will be one of 32 NFL placekickers. But every NFL team realizes the Steelers' situation and would be inclined to wait until rosters are cut to 53 at the end of the preseason to make a move. But if the phone rings, General Manager Omar Khan will listen. He has said often that he'll always listen.
BOB MEREDITH FROM HONEY BROOK, PA: Regarding the answer to a recent question about Mr. Irrelevant, can you tell your readers how many times Mr. Irrelevant turned out to be a successful selection? One who comes to mind is Ryan Succop, who turned out to be a successful kicker.
ANSWER: We can start with Tyrone McGriff, who was drafted by the Steelers with the last pick in 1980. He made the 1980 NFL All-Rookie Team, played 3 seasons for the Steelers before moving on to the USFL where he was part of the Michigan Panthers team that won the USFL Championship in 1983 and was voted to a spot on the USFL All-Star Team. In 1983 John Tuggle started five games as a fullback as a rookie with the Giants and was named their Special Teams Player of the Year. But in 1984 he was diagnosed with cancer, never played football again, and died in 1986.
Marty Moore, the final pick of the 1994 NFL Draft, became the first Mr. Irrelevant to play in a Super Bowl – with the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXI – and the first Mr. Irrelevant to win a Super Bowl, with New England Patriots in the Super Bowl following the 2001 season. You mentioned Ryan Succop, the last pick in 2009, who went on to tie the NFL record for highest field goal percentage by a rookie in a season (86.2 percent), and he also broke Jan Stenerud's record for most field goals by a rookie in Chiefs history. And everyone knows the story of Brock Purdy, the last pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, by San Francisco, who has the distinction of being the only rookie quarterback in his first career start to beat Tom Brady.
And here are some unusual stories about Mr. Irrelevant as presented by NFL.com:
• KELVIN KIRK, WR, PITTSBURGH STEELERS, 1976: He missed his flight to Southern California for "Irrelevant Week," so he was replaced by a local butcher who served as a passable doppelganger.
• ANDY STOKES, TE, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS, 2005: Stokes never made an NFL roster, but his wife used to be a backup dancer for Beyonce. According to USA Today, he became co-owner/player for the Dixie Rebels, a semipro team in St. George, Utah. His wife was the team's director of entertainment at that time.
• MARTY MOORE, LB, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS, 1994: As mentioned above, Moore was the first Mr. Irrelevant to play in a Super Bowl (with the Patriots in January 1997), and he said, "I had no idea what Mr. Irrelevant was until (Bill) Parcells told me. It was a fun week (for Irrelevant Week), but it also was a lot of mockery, and guys were handing me (business) cards saying, 'Here's a job for when you get cut.'"
