The opinions found in Asked and Answered do not reflect the views of the Steelers organization.
Let's get to it:
LEE JOHNSON FROM MIDLAND, VA: How many times have the Steelers moved up in the first round of the draft?
ANSWER: After going through the Buddy Parker era (1957-64) when he traded away future draft picks often and in bunches, the Steelers hired Chuck Noll and with his strong endorsement did a 180 in how they viewed the draft. In his 23 seasons, Noll traded away one draft pick one time – in 1973, he sent a third-round pick in the 1974 NFL Draft to Oakland for veteran DT Tom Keating. And when the 1974 NFL Draft rolled around and Noll had to sweat out getting WR John Stallworth with a No. 4 pick he vowed: "Never again." And so it wasn't until 2003 when the Steelers traded with Kansas City to move up in the first round the "the policy" changed. The Steelers moved up to 16th overall in the first round and sent the Chiefs their 27th overall pick along with their picks in the third and sixth rounds of that 2003 NFL Draft in order to select USC safety Troy Polamalu.
Since then, the Steelers have moved up three times in the first round of an NFL Draft. In 2006, they moved up from 36th to 25th overall to pick WR Santonio Holmes. In 2019, they moved up from 20th to 10th overall to select ILB Devin Bush; and in 2023, they moved up from 17th to 14th overall to select OT Broderick Jones.
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CHARLES GEORGE FROM COCOA, FL: If Aaron Rodgers signs before the draft, do the Steelers lose a compensatory pick?
ANSWER: The only category of players who impact the compensatory draft pick formula are unrestricted free agents lost and signed. Players who are cut by their previous team and then signed do not count in the compensatory draft pick formula. Aaron Rodgers was cut by the New York Jets on Wednesday, March 12.
JOE ASHER FROM TAMPA, FL: I loved your response to the question about who you would select in the first round of this draft – "The 1969 version of Joe Greene." Classic. As with all other drafts, I know there was controversy over that selection. Do you remember Joe Greene's rookie season? How many games did he have to play to silence all critics about his selection? Did he have a learning curve, or was he dominant during his rookie season?
ANSWER: When it came down to Joe Greene proving himself, his teammates needed only one practice to believe. This is a story often told by Andy Russell, a team captain who in 1969 was a fifth-year pro coming off a Pro Bowl season in 1968. I am paraphrasing:
Joe Greene missed the first few days of training camp because he was in a contract dispute with the Steelers, and it got down to Art Rooney Sr. putting his foot down – "Give him the money." Greene signed and made his way to Saint Vincent College. Greene arrived, got dressed for practice, which was in full pads and in progress, and when he joined the team on the field, Coach Chuck Noll immediately set up the team for the Oklahoma Drill, which pits a defensive lineman vs. an offensive lineman in a confined space where the defensive player must shed the block and tackle a running back coming behind the block.
Noll first matched Greene vs. Bruce Van Dyke, a veteran guard. Russell remembers some of the veteran players who were watching the drill exchanging looks in anticipation of the rookie getting his comeuppance. At the snap, Greene threw Van Dyke to the side the drilled the back for no gain. Next up was center Ray Mansfield, another NFL veteran, who would start in the Steelers' first two Super Bowl wins. Greene did the same thing to him, at which time Russell said the veterans who were watching started looking at this rookie and thinking, "Who is this guy?" As the drill continued, Noll kept Greene on the field and the rookie went through several more repetitions where he did the same thing to every player who lined up opposite him.
That was Joe Greene's welcome to the NFL moment, and he would end that season as a 14-game starter, a Pro Bowl selection, and the winner of the Defensive Rookie of the Year Award.
DAMIANE SCOTT SR. FROM PITTSBURGH, PA: With Jaylen Warren, Kenneth Gainwell, and Cordarrelle Patterson as the running backs, do you think the Steelers add a back in this upcoming draft?
ANSWER: Actually, the Steelers currently have 6 running backs on their roster – the three players you mentioned along with Evan Hull, Aaron Shampklin, and Jonathan Ward. The upcoming draft is said to have good depth at running back, and I could see the Steelers adding one at some point, depending upon how the picking unfolds.
DONALD NOLAN FROM CANTON, OH: Do you have any thoughts on drafting QB Seth Henigan from Memphis as a late-round pick instead of investing a No. 1 or a No. 3 pick on one? It's a different take than I've seen thrown around, and I'm wondering if you could compare him to some of the other bigger name guys who have been talked about being drafted by the Steelers.
ANSWER: As I have explained in previous installments, my only exposure to prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft comes from watching college football on TV on Saturdays in the fall, and I don't remember seeing a snap of Memphis QB Seth Henigan (6-foot-3, 215) in the previous couple of years. And so I will offer the report written by NFL Draft Analyst Lance Zierlein for NFL.com, where he is projected as a "Candidate for bottom of roster or practice squad":
Overview
Productive four-year starter with a long, wiry build and hands on the small side. Henigan displayed an adequate feel for the offense, but it never really felt like he was taking a scalpel to fairly average defenses. He's not a commanding thrower and lacks arm talent on the move. He has adequate mobility inside the pocket and throws with accuracy to his first option when he's on-platform, but his feet get impatient when getting through progressions. On paper, his accuracy intermediate and deep are below average, but on tape, he simply didn't have receivers who could separate and create better passing windows. The production has been solid and he's worth a look as a potential backup.
Strengths
Four-year starter with impressive passing production.
Will come off his primary target quickly when needed.
Rolls and reads high to low on levels concepts.
Climbs under edge pressure and spots completions.
Adequate vision and internal clock to avoid sacks.
Delivers with adequate accuracy from a comfortable platform.
Throws a catchable deep ball with plenty of air under it.
Weaknesses
Not instinctive or physically talented enough to win off-schedule.
Doesn't have an ideal pre-snap feel for carving up zones.
Rushes himself and throws a beat earlier than needed.
Wiry lower half rarely generates good drive velocity.
Lacks arm talent and body control as a move thrower.
Throws ill-advised 50/50 balls into traffic.
STEVE VANAIRSDALE FROM CHATHAM, VA: We played roughly 30 percent of the defensive snaps in our base 3-4 alignment in 2024. Do you think this is primarily due to personnel, coaching preference, strategy, or a combination of all three?
ANSWER: It's my opinion that defensive alignment is dictated by the opponent's offensive personnel groupings and that opponent's preferred method of attacking from those personnel groupings.
RANDY DUVALL FROM HAMPTON, VA: The team has signed several players to one- and two-year contracts. What happens to the team's contractual commitment to that player if they do not make the 53-man roster?
ANSWER: Unless there was some guaranteed money attached to those contracts, there is no commitment whatsoever to that player if he does not make the 53-man roster.
