Innholdsfortegnelse for Vol. 37 - Number 8 i Steelers Digest

There are not a lot of definitive statements that come out of any NFL team’s pre-draft news conference, and the Steelers historically have been quite guarded about revealing much about their process or their intentions. But a couple of days before the 2025 NFL Draft began on April 24, midway through their pre-draft news conference, General Manager Omar Khan drew a line in the sand when it came to dangling their 21st overall pick as part of a package that would allow the team to recoup the second-round choice it used in the trade that brought DK Metcalf to town. “I think the key, the way I look at it, is you never really want to trade away from a really good player who can help you and is the…

As the picking trickled into the latter half of Round 3 of the 2025 NFL Draft, the Steelers found themselves in a spot where the value at the running back position meshed nicely with an item on their shopping list. And if possible, checking off that item by adding one with a comparable style to the one they had lost looked to be an efficient way to use one of their 6 picks. After the departure of Najee Harris via unrestricted free agency, the Steelers had a hole in their depth chart at running back, and with the 83rd overall pick that happened to be their second in this draft the team settled on Iowa’s Kaleb Johnson as a guy to provide some of what they lost. What the Steelers…

The selection of two defensive linemen – first-round pick Derrick Harmon and fifth-round selection Yahya Black – as well as outside linebacker Jack Sawyer in the fourth round shows that the Steelers are not only serious about rebuilding their trenches on both sides of the ball, but their depth, as well. All-Pro outside linebacker T.J. Watt played nearly 86 percent of the team’s defensive snaps in 2024. All-Pro defensive tackle Cam Heyward was at 71.25 percent, down from the over 80 percent he had typically played in previous seasons. Alex Highsmith, the team’s other starting outside linebacker, would have easily been over 80 percent as usual if he hadn’t missed some time because of injury. The idea of adding more quality and youth at outside linebacker and on the defensive…

The countdown for the 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh has officially begun, and Steelers fans and visitors from around the world can keep a close eye on how much longer it is until one of the league’s biggest events takes place. Pittsburgh is hosting the 2026 NFL Draft, which will be held April 23-25, 2026, and the city is officially “on the clock” with the unveiling of the 2026 NFL Draft Countdown Clock. The Steelers, VisitPITTSBURGH, Allegheny County and the City of Pittsburgh unveiled the two-sided digital clock on the North Shore Great Lawn, with a backdrop of Acrisure Stadium from one side and the city skyline from the other, making it not just a symbol for the upcoming draft, but a one-of-kind photo opportunity for those visiting the region.…

✦ WE ARE INCREASING THE AMOUNT OF EXCLUSIVE CONTENT IN EACH ISSUE. We will now incorporate unique editorial pieces from experts like radio sideline reporter Craig Wolfley, Steelers Radio Network host Mike Prisuta, as well as Matt Williamson and Dale Lolley of Steelers Nation Radio. These editorial voices join 3 favorites like Bob Labriola, Teresa Varley and Jim Wexell. ✦ NEW FEEL, LOOK AND DESIGN. Your eight issues per year will feature a card stock cover and an updated design look. ✦ 3 EXCLUSIVE CONTENT AND PHOTOGRAPHY. Each Steelers Digest will include news and images that will be found here first. Many photos and articles will only be seen in the Digest! Subscribe now for yourself or your favorite Steeler fan! 1 YEAR 8 ISSUES  $34 30% OFF Newsstand 2…

From the notebook of a sportswriter who can’t remember being so impressed by a Steelers rookie crop: • Do I say that after every draft? • I could produce evidence to the contrary, if pressed. • In talking to those behind the scenes, the first four picks were well atop the board at draft time. The fifth was the QB they needed. The seventh-round picks are very interesting. • The knee-jerk criticism is they didn’t draft a QB in the first round. But it is the established pattern that they find the future centerpiece of their defensive line before the QB. • It fell that way in 1969 and 2001. In 1983, Gabe Rivera was probably forced ahead of Dan Marino. • What this year’s Steelers have in common with…

It was a moment that went viral during the 2025 NFL Draft, when Ohio State quarterback Will Howard was shown during the filming of “Hey Rookie: Welcome to the NFL.” He said into the camera: “Please pick me, Pittsburgh. Please pick me. Please.” And then seconds later, the phone rang. On the other end it was the Steelers, selecting him with the 185th overall pick and ending what was a long wait for the reigning National Champion quarterback. “I’m not a huge believer in manifestation, but I guess in that case,” said Howard a week after the draft. “I’m just glad that I was right.” He was spot on. And it was something that ended what was a tough wait. “When I finally saw that phone ring and it said…

Derrick Harmon’s phone call from the Steelers welcoming him to the team after they had selected him in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft was a bittersweet moment for the young defensive lineman. On one hand, it was a testament to all the hard work he had put in to reshape his body and become a better football player. On the other hand, the person who had been the driving force for him over the course of his 21 years wasn’t there to celebrate the moment with him. His mother, Tiffany Saine, was at a nearby hospital on life support, continuing her battle with longtime health issues that had plagued her since her son’s freshman year at Michigan State. Saine suffered a stroke that year that left her…

These words and numbers don’t sell the Steelers’ selection of Jack Sawyer in the fourth round: • He’s an outside linebacker on a team that already has T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, and Nick Herbig. • Sawyer played in 55 college games and compiled 23 sacks. He was named third-team all-conference as a senior. • In pre-draft testing, Sawyer didn’t run a 40. But at 6-foot-5, 260-pounds, he should help as an elephant-style edge to replace 265-pounder Preston Smith. In short, Sawyer is another run-stuffer for a team in seemingly desperate need of a quarterback and probably a wide receiver. Yep. Tough sell. But Steelers defensive coordinator Teryl Austin took reporters away from the words and numbers on draft day and pointed us to the tape. “This guy right here is…

The game in Ireland – on Sept. 28 against the Minnesota Vikings – is the crown jewel of the Steelers’ 2025 regular season schedule, and President Art Rooney II is suitably happy and excited about that. But there’s something else he noticed right away. In 2024, the Steelers did not play their first game against an AFC North opponent until Nov. 17, which was Week 11, and at one point they had to play 4 straight games against division rivals. “I like to have them a little more spread out than what we had last year,” said Rooney. “I thought last year was a little too much at the end of the season, and so I like the way the division games fall this year a little better.” The way…