Let's get to it:
The opinions found in Asked and Answered do not reflect the views of the Steelers organization.
CRAIG DUMNICH FROM AVONDALE, PA: I'd like your opinion on what makes a franchise quarterback? We've all seen quarterbacks drafted in the first round go bust, and then you have other quarterbacks like Tom Brady, who was drafted in the sixth round, be amazing.
ANSWER: For me, the label "franchise quarterback" is earned by what the player does once he's in the NFL. And there are not statistical lines of demarcation, such as X-number of completions or yards or touchdown passes that automatically qualify or disqualify someone as a "franchise quarterback." You know it when you see it, and there are more players called "franchise quarterbacks" than there are actual "franchise quarterbacks."
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LARRY LININGER FROM MESA, AZ: I was pretty good at math. Thirty-two teams with 7 rounds equals 224 picks. Why have 257 players been drafted?
ANSWER: Bet you forgot to include the compensatory picks that were added to the bottom of Rounds 3-through-7. You may have done the multiplication correctly, but you forgot to follow up with the addition.
BILL MENTZER FROM COLUMBIA, SC: On the history of the fullbacks with the Steelers through the years that was a part of the April 22 Asked and Answered, where does that put Rocky Bleier on the list? After all, he was blocking for Hall of Famer Franco Harris all those years. Why was he not included?
ANSWER: When the Steelers backfield consisted of Rocky Bleier and Franco Harris, Harris was the primary ballcarrier as the fullback and Bleier played the halfback position in Chuck Noll's offense and did most of the blocking. Noll was a proponent of the split-backfield formation, and that resulted in Bleier and Harris most often lined up behind the quarterback in something other than an I-formation. And so when the fullback (Harris) was handed the ball, it was the halfback (Bleier) who led him to the point of attack as the blocker.
PAT FLYNN FROM OAKDALE, PA: What is the fewest number of draft picks the Steelers have had in an NFL Draft?
ANSWER: The fewest number of picks in a particular draft by the Steelers was in 2003 when they made 5 picks. That was the year they drafted Troy Polamalu in the first round; Alonzo Jackson in the second round; Ike Taylor in the fourth round; Brian St. Pierre in the fifth round, and J.T. Wall in the seventh round. The picks in the third and sixth rounds were part of the trade with Kansas City that allowed the Steelers to move up from 27th overall to 16th overall to select Polamalu.
MILTON MANION SR.: FROM LOUISVILLE, KY: Can't compensatory draft picks for next year be traded this year?
ANSWER: Compensatory picks for the 2026 NFL Draft won't be awarded until a couple of months before the actual event. And you can only trade the picks you have; you cannot trade picks you are forecast to maybe have.
PAUL KOLESAR NORTH HUNTINGDON, PA: If Dwayne Haskins wouldn't have passed away, were the Steelers still considering a QB in the 2022 NFL Draft?
ANSWER: Dwayne Haskins was still very much an unknown quantity to the Steelers when he died on April 9, 2022. The 2022 NFL Draft was held on April 28-30.
SEAN DELANEY FROM GARDNER, MA: Trading up or down during the draft means multiple picks are exchanged. Do NFL teams use the same draft pick value chart in order to facilitate trades? On draft day, trade offers require an immediate response, so I imagine teams would have to agree on what each pick is worth beforehand.
ANSWER: The draft pick value chart has been around for more than 20 years, and while it's no doubt consulted when teams are making trades it's not necessarily the "bible." There can be deviations from the chart, and I'm sure there are.
JEFF BOYD WHEELING, WV: With the arrival of the new draft picks, how does the team assign jersey numbers? Seems like there are more players per position in a few areas than available numbers?
ANSWER: Jersey numbers do not become "assigned" to rookies until after the roster is cut from 90 to 53 at the end of the preseason. The only rookie who can choose a jersey number is the No. 1 pick, and that's an NFL rule so that the league can begin selling that player's jersey. There will be several double-numbers issued to accommodate the 90-man roster, and those numbers are given to one player on offense and one player on defense to avoid confusion during practices and preseason games. Then once the roster is cut to 53, every player has his own jersey number.
TERENCE SUCHMA FROM SOUTHPORT, NC: A question about the Steelers draft process. I understand that the team does its player evaluations and rankings beforehand and all that is reflected on their "board." Wondering how much, if any, decision making is involved in the limited time available to make the actual pick.
ANSWER: The allotted amount of time between picks during the NFL Draft was 10 minutes for the first round; 7 minutes for the second round; 5 minutes for the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth rounds; and 4 minutes for the seventh round. After the draft, Commissioner Roger Goodell floated the idea of shortening the time between first-round picks.
Michael David Smith wrote the following for nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk:
"I started thinking last night, we've got to shorten it," Goodell said. "Should we have time that you can save? I'm making it up, seven minutes first round, but you can get two minutes extra if you need it, you can call it, but then you don't get it again the rest of the draft. You get one extension."
Goodell said teams typically are only on the clock for about six and a half minutes in the first round and it would be better to make that uniform, with the caveat that trades can take a little bit longer.
"I think only one team went the full 10," Goodell said. "If you're in the middle of a trade you might want to use your card, get two minutes extra."
EDITOR'S NOTE: There were several submissions from fans who wanted to send condolences to Derrick Harmon following the death of his mother. A few of them are offered below without comment.
DAN MELCHIOR FROM SAN DIEGO, CA: There really are no words, barely even thoughts. I can only think that Derrick Harmon's Mom is immensely proud of her son. Of that, I am sure.
JEFF WELLER FROM COLUMBUS, OH: No question, but wanted to let young Mr. Harmon know that Steelers Nation is happy he is a part of it, and we wish to extend our condolences to him and his family. I lost my father on Tuesday, April 15, and we have been holding on to our faith to get through it.
RYAN YEDLINSKY FROM LANSING, KS: Just wanted to express my condolences to Derrick Harmon over losing his Mom. Grieving over your mom while going through this selection process has got to be incredibly hard.
