It's a moment Carson Bruener will never forget.
As he was patiently waiting for his name to be called during the NFL Draft, he looked at his phone and saw an incoming call from a number he immediately recognized.
The Pittsburgh Steelers.
"It probably felt like one of the longest weekends of my life," said Bruener. "I think I did that to myself by watching every single pick of every single round. That didn't help out that case. But I knew I wanted to be in Westport. That's the exact same spot where my dad was when he got drafted by the Steelers.
"I wasn't hoping for a particular team. I wasn't hoping for a certain round. I was just hoping to get picked by a team, get a phone call. But sitting on that couch and having my phone ring, and then seeing the 412-area code, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I always envisioned what that moment would be like, but seeing Pittsburgh, it was different. It made it better."
Bruener immediately looked at his dad, former Steelers tight end and current college scout Mark Bruener, when his phone rang and showed him where the call was coming from.
"My phone rang and it was almost one of those moments where I kind of went into shock for a second," said Bruener. "It was just like, holy cow, it's Pittsburgh.
"I go and flash my phone to my dad, who was sitting a little bit to the right of me, and he was like, answer it, answer the phone.
"I was like, 'Oh shoot,' and answered and it was (General Manager) Omar (Khan). And immediately my dad goes to Braydon, my brother, go grab the Steelers hat. My whole family started bawling, going nuts.
"My dad was surprisingly pretty calm. He let me have my moment, but he was soaking it all in. He just told me how proud of me he was. "
It was a flashback of sorts for Bruener, who was at the same cabin on the coast in Westport, Washington that his father was at when he was drafted by the Steelers in 1995, sitting in the same spot, although the family did say they bought a new couch since dad was drafted 30 years ago.
And while Mark had to be in Pittsburgh for the first round of the draft, the team let him fly home to be with Carson and the family for this once-in-a-lifetime moment.
"It was special to have him there," said Bruener. "It speaks volumes of the Steelers organization, allowing him to come and fly home to be with me and my entire family for draft day when the draft is a serious time of the year for all these NFL organizations. And for my dad to be willing to do it was so special.
"Because he was with us, he had no idea they were taking me. It was as big a surprise for him."
Bruener comes into the NFL with a little bit of an advantage from a knowledge standpoint, as his dad shared some tips.
That doesn't mean, though, that it's going to be any easier.
"He told me take everything as it comes," said Bruener. "It's going to be different than college. Just the speed of play, how smart everyone is. He also told me it's not anything crazy where you're going to be unprepared. At the end of the day, football is football, and you know how to play that game. That's the biggest thing for me. I've been playing this game my whole life and it's something where it's going to be a lot harder now being in the NFL, but it's something that I'm really looking forward to the challenge."
The challenge officially began when Bruener took part in the team's rookie minicamp and is now participating in Phase 2 of the offseason program.
He wants to show what he can do, what he brings to the defense, with every opportunity he is given.
"What I bring is my physicality, my instincts and my ability to lead through both example and being vocal," said Bruener. "It's something where I feel like I'm very instinctual out there. I'm able to read plays fast and get to the ball, that's one thing I've been able to do throughout my career.
"Some people might not think I'm the most athletic, the fastest, the strongest, but that has never mattered to me. I will be at that ball, making that tackle and doing it one way or another. It might be ugly, it might be pretty, it doesn't matter to me. The thing is, I'm just a ball player. It's something where I'll come in, it doesn't matter the situation or who I'm going against, I'm just giving my 110% every single play. That they're definitely going to notice."
And it's not just on defense where he knows the work is to be done. Being a rookie, special teams is going to play a huge role for Bruener, and it's something he welcomes.
"Special teams is something I truly fell in love with back in 2022 in college," said Bruener. "I wasn't getting as many snaps on defense as I would have hoped for. I went to the special teams coach and asked if I could be on all four phases and what I had to do. It was something that he was able to do for me, and I absolutely loved it.
"Every single game, I come in there and I take every rep as if it's my last rep. Playing on all four phases, I developed a love for special teams and it's still there. I know special teams are going to be big for me. It's something I'm going to embrace and love."
And it's not the only thing Bruener loves about the game. It's every aspect that he embraces.
"I love everything about the game," said Bruener. "The locker room, the relationships with teammates and coaches. The physicality. You can unleash your passion for the City of Pittsburgh on the field every play, every game. I love the games, special teams, defense, all the phases. I love that you learn and prepare so hard for one singular game, and then as soon as that game's done, you watch the tape, you learn from it, and then you have to do that same thing again, but for a different opponent.
"Playing football at this level has always been a dream of mine. I started playing football at the age of seven, watching my dad play for the Texans at the time, thinking I want to be just like him. I wanted to play college football, and I wanted to play in the NFL. It was a dream of mine from a kid, and now looking back, and even though it might get hard sometimes as this path is never easy, it's something where I love it and never mind pushing through it every day."
