Art Rooney II joined Steelers Nation Radio during Day 2 of the NFL Draft and touched on a few different topics ...
• On drafting Derrick Harmon in the first round:
"He spent a little time with us here this afternoon. Just a great young man. Got to meet some of his family that's with him. Of course, difficult circumstances. Just a wonderful person, and we're really excited to have him."
• On Harmon's mother passing away shortly after her son was drafted by the Steelers:
"It's just one of those strange days that you go through in life. I think it's great that he got to tell her that he got drafted. I know he's happy about that part."
• Were you surprised you didn't draft Shedeur Sanders in the first round?
"It's amazing. The thing that's really amazing, there's some people that take it personally like they're mad that we didn't take him -- who are on TV. Look, we had him in. He's a nice young man. I'm sure he'll get drafted early, but we're certainly happy with the guy we drafted."
• Is the decision not to draft a quarterback related to one that's out there (Aaron Rodgers) that you're waiting on?
"No, we really did not factor whether Aaron's coming or not into that. If we draft a quarterback, and we still might, he's probably not somebody that's going to start for us this year. It'll be somebody that'll be developing and may play down the road. So, it's not like it's -- as far as I'm concerned -- somebody that's going to have a big impact on this season if we draft a quarterback."
• Anything new on the Rodgers front?
"Look, we're still getting the same signals we've been getting recently, that he does want to come here. I do think we may get word soon. Obviously, with things starting to crank up here with the offseason program, etc., if he's coming, we'd like to get him here soon for some of that."
• Any position he'd like to address with their third-round pick? (This was recorded before the Steelers drafted Kaleb Johnson).
"I don't think we have it narrowed down to a position in the third round, per se. But obviously, at some point we'd like to get a running back here. Maybe a quarterback. But really, there are a number of places we can go. Still a lot of good players out there to be drafted. So it'll be an interesting night and tomorrow will be interesting, as well."
• Is the team better, worse or the same? Or is it too early for that?
"Look, we're sitting here on Night 2 of the draft. We filled a need with a great guy with our first-round pick. We really feel like DK Metcalf was our second-round pick, so I feel pretty good with where we are so far."
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THE ASYLUM
Chris Halicke
6:39 am - 04.26.2025South SideRooney speaks on Rodgers, not drafting Sanders
Art Rooney II joined Steelers Nation Radio during Day 2 of the NFL Draft and touched on a few different topics ...
• On drafting Derrick Harmon in the first round:
"He spent a little time with us here this afternoon. Just a great young man. Got to meet some of his family that's with him. Of course, difficult circumstances. Just a wonderful person, and we're really excited to have him."
• On Harmon's mother passing away shortly after her son was drafted by the Steelers:
"It's just one of those strange days that you go through in life. I think it's great that he got to tell her that he got drafted. I know he's happy about that part."
• Were you surprised you didn't draft Shedeur Sanders in the first round?
"It's amazing. The thing that's really amazing, there's some people that take it personally like they're mad that we didn't take him -- who are on TV. Look, we had him in. He's a nice young man. I'm sure he'll get drafted early, but we're certainly happy with the guy we drafted."
• Is the decision not to draft a quarterback related to one that's out there (Aaron Rodgers) that you're waiting on?
"No, we really did not factor whether Aaron's coming or not into that. If we draft a quarterback, and we still might, he's probably not somebody that's going to start for us this year. It'll be somebody that'll be developing and may play down the road. So, it's not like it's -- as far as I'm concerned -- somebody that's going to have a big impact on this season if we draft a quarterback."
• Anything new on the Rodgers front?
"Look, we're still getting the same signals we've been getting recently, that he does want to come here. I do think we may get word soon. Obviously, with things starting to crank up here with the offseason program, etc., if he's coming, we'd like to get him here soon for some of that."
• Any position he'd like to address with their third-round pick? (This was recorded before the Steelers drafted Kaleb Johnson).
"I don't think we have it narrowed down to a position in the third round, per se. But obviously, at some point we'd like to get a running back here. Maybe a quarterback. But really, there are a number of places we can go. Still a lot of good players out there to be drafted. So it'll be an interesting night and tomorrow will be interesting, as well."
• Is the team better, worse or the same? Or is it too early for that?
"Look, we're sitting here on Night 2 of the draft. We filled a need with a great guy with our first-round pick. We really feel like DK Metcalf was our second-round pick, so I feel pretty good with where we are so far."
Want to participate in our comments?
Want an ad-free experience?
Become a member, and enjoy premium benefits! Make your voice heard on the Steelers, Penguins and Pirates, and hear right back from tens of thousands of fellow Pittsburgh sports fans worldwide! Plus, access all our premium content, including Dejan Kovacevic columns, Friday Insider, daily Live Qs with the staff, more! And yeah, that's right, no ads at all!
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