Let's get to it:
BOB MANNION FROM CLEARWATER, FL: Is the coaching staff down on Broderick Jones, or do they still feel he can develop into a great player? I assume RT is where he will play in 2025.
ANSWER: When the Steelers traded up to select Broderick Jones with the 14th overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft, they understood he was a young player – 21 years old at the time – who had played in just 31 college games during his time at Georgia. But he was talented, had the proper demeanor, and had been a fixture at left tackle for those back-to-back Georgia Bulldogs National Championship teams. During his first two NFL seasons, Jones was playing out of position (at right tackle) due to circumstances not of his own making. When the Steelers drafted Troy Fautanu in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft it was with the idea that he and Jones would be the bookend tackles on the offensive line for the next decade. And it will be Fautanu at right tackle in 2025, with Jones finally getting to play left tackle, which was the position the Steelers had in mind for him when they picked him.
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MICHAEL JOHNSON FROM HOUSTON, TX: What is meant by the term "quarterback friendly" offense?
ANSWER: A quarterback friendly offense is one that's designed with the goal of making things as simple and straightforward as possible for the quarterback. That can be accomplished in a variety of ways, such as limiting the number of plays he has to learn and execute, simplifying his reads once the ball is snapped, and not asking him to make throws that would require more arm talent than he possesses. It's an offense that doesn't require him to hold onto the ball for a long time waiting for plays to develop and therefore exposing him unnecessarily to the pass rush, and by allowing him to avoid a lot of hits from the defense it gives him a good chance to stay healthy. A quarterback friendly offense also includes an effective running game, because that forces the defense to respect that phase and not concentrate on pressure/coverage packages that can make a quarterback's life more difficult. And finally, a quarterback friendly offense employs a good offensive line. That's basically what is meant by a quarterback friendly offense.
DICK VOCHEK FROM PORTAGE, PA: Last summer I wrote in asking a question about taking my family to training camp and the Steelers Hall of Honor Museum. We ended up going to both during our trip to Pittsburgh. This week in school, my daughter, who is in second grade, had to complete an assignment that asked, "What museum would you like to visit?" Her response was, "Steelers Hall of Honor Museum." I have that assignment pinned up above my desk at work. Thanks so much for the info you provide through this column and for being a resource for us who live out of town.
ANSWER: I'm glad you and your family enjoyed your trip to Pittsburgh last summer, and the Steelers will be back at it at Saint Vincent College this summer starting sometime in late July.
JOE WERNER FROM WEST HENRIETTA, NY: While watching the NCAA Wrestling Tournament last week, I was thinking about Gable Stevenson's unsuccessful attempt to make it with the Buffalo Bills last year. As a former high school wrestler, I was rooting for him, hoping he could write himself a story similar to Carlton Haselrig's. That got me thinking about the long odds undrafted lineman face in making a roster. It seems that most of the special teams positions go to skill players, so would you say that for an undrafted rookie offensive or defensive lineman to make the roster he would have to show potential to be able to start right away?
ANSWER: No. There are a number of examples of defensive linemen needing time to develop before cracking the lineup on a regular basis. What young players need to do to buy some time in order to be able to develop is provide his team with some reason to keep him in the meantime. An example I can give you is Brett Keisel, a seventh-round pick in the 2002 NFL Draft. Keisel was not a finished product when he entered the NFL, but he was athletic and could run, and so while he was developing as a defensive end he made himself valuable on special teams. By the time the 2005 season rolled around, Keisel had worked himself into the rotation on defense in addition to his special teams contributions, and in Super Bowl XL he contributed 2 tackles on defense and 1 more in kickoff coverage.
JAMES LABAR JR. FROM CATASAUQUA, PA: Do you think Mason Rudolph would get better if he played as the No. 1 quarterback for a full preseason and then a full regular season? I thought he easily won the competition with Kenny Pickett and Mitch Trubisky during training camp in 2022 but didn't get the chance he deserved.
ANSWER: What happens to players in the NFL is that they are evaluated and judged starting with when they enter the league, and then the accumulation of that "professional resume" is what becomes part of any decision a team makes regarding roles and/or playing time. I never did agree with the narrative that Mason Rudolph "easily won the competition" with Kenny Pickett and Mitch Trubisky in 2022. I watched every snap of training camp and every snap of the preseason games, and I would have opened the regular season with Trubisky as the starter. I'm not saying that Rudolph didn't perform well or wasn't a good teammate or didn't handle himself as a professional each and every day. But I believe fans formed an opinion based a small sample size of preseason games and the opinion of certain members of the media who liked Rudolph as an interview subject. I was doing Asked and Answered back in 2019 when Ben Roethlisberger missed all but 6 quarters of the regular season because of elbow surgery, and I'm telling you I got a bunch of submissions wanting Duck Hodges to be the starter over Rudolph back then. In the NFL, backup quarterback is more than just a spot on the roster. It's an important role, and those who are good at it and serious about it can turn it into a career.
MIKE FOSTER FROM EWA BEACH, HI: Do you consider the 83rd pick to be a premium pick? Is the 83rd pick too late to address the defensive line?
ANSWER: When I refer to premium draft picks, I am talking about all of the picks made on the draft's first two days – Thursday and Friday. And those are the days that contain the first three rounds. Also, it stands to reason that the 21st pick of a draft will give a team a better chance at one of the top players at a position than waiting until the 83rd pick. Simple arithmetic.
GARY HOPKINS FROM CINCINNATI, OH: Just curious: Do you think mock drafts are as useless as I do? Waste of reading.
ANSWER: This is the thing about mock drafts: readers should understand what they are, which is the writer's guess at how the draft is going to unfold. If people are entertained by that, if they enjoy that kind of thing, read to your heart's content. One specific thing about a bunch of the mock drafts I've seen during this particular cycle is that many of them didn't have the Steelers' picks correct in terms of how many and in which rounds they would occur. So if the author doesn't know that, or doesn't take the time or care to research such a detail to make sure it's correct, then I have an issue with taking the rest of it seriously.
JARQUEZ ALBA FROM PITTSBURGH, PA: With Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson currently being the only quarterbacks on the Steelers roster, do you think it's possible the Steelers will trade T.J. Watt to the Browns for the No. 2 overall pick and select Shedeur Sanders as the quarterback of the future?
ANSWER: I get that today is April 1, but to quote the great John McEnroe, "You cannot be serious."
JUSTIN WHITE FROM SOUTHEAST, TX: Do you think the Steelers take a QB in the first round of this year's draft regardless of who they sign during the rest of free agency? And will he be their next franchise QB if so?
ANSWER: I have no idea who the Steelers will pick on the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, but I have written several times that I believe they should commit the same kind of draft capital to reinforcing the defensive line that they have done in the recent past with the offensive line. Regardless of position, the player chosen 21st overall should be the guy they see as the best value at a position of need.
