What a wonderful windup it's been to the NFL Draft that takes to the stage tonight in the heart and soul of Western Pennsylvania and, in so many ways, the heart and soul of football itself.
Wednesday alone brought fans from far and wide to sport their franchise's colors, to support their team's selections and, soon enough, to boo Roger Goodell till their bleeping lungs burn. I was blessed with the chance to meet more than a few fine folks at our Downtown HQ/shop. From Baltimore to the Black Forest of Germany, from Montréal to Mexico, from Washington state to Washington, Pa., they kept coming and coming and ... yeah, it'll pale compared to what's on the way the rest of the week.
Now, at the same time, by evening's end, at least among the locals, all the discussion and debate will be pretty much identical: Who'd the Steelers take? And why? And who's next?
They're slotted at No. 21 in the first round, and thus, I'm here to offer 21 final thoughts:
• All else being equal, I'd be delighted if Omar Khan, Andy Weidl and Mike McCarthy could land Olaivavega Ioane, the dynamic guard out of Penn State. His 6-foot-4, 330-pound frame, monstrous hands and matching athleticism make for a football floor that's arguably as high as his ceiling. On top of that, he heads the class at his position, and it's a position of uncertainty in Pittsburgh with the free-agency departure of Isaac Seumalo.
• One hitch: The Ravens and others like him, too. And the Ravens, whose offensive line needs outweigh those of their archrivals, are slotted at No. 14. So, given that Ioane's stock seems to have risen in recent weeks and some analysts have him as high as the top 10, that'd require a trade up -- way up -- to keep Baltimore at bay.
• I'm not wild about that. I don't mind trading up. Khan's got 12 picks for seven rounds, and there's zero chance he'll use them all on players. But that doesn't mean he's got to waste them on an excessive expenditure, either.
• To wit: Spencer Anderson's 25 years old, he's 6-5 and 305 (with the easy capability to add pounds if he'd start at guard), and he just might blossom if they'd ever stop bouncing him all over the line. I'm not suggesting he'll be All-Pro or whatever, but he's a legit leader in that room, and cohesiveness matters almost as much as individual performance for these guys.
Again, I like Ioane. I'm just not sure guard should be management's top priority.
• Heck, even if sticking to the trenches, I'd see defensive line as a greater need. Who lines up next to Derrick Harmon if/when Cam Heyward ever retires?
• What if Ioane's gone?
For me, that's easy: Wide receiver.
On one hand, it meets a bona fide need. DK Metcalf and newly acquired Mike Pittman will be Nos. 1 and 2 -- all hail an actual No. 2 in the house, by the way! -- but both are 28 years old, and that's running uncomfortably close to the fateful 30 line at that position. And to tell the truth, I'd still want another wide receiver from this draft even if that's the first-rounder.
Additionally, there are SIX wide receivers expected to go within the top two-thirds of this first round and FIVE of those in the 10-20 range -- USC's Makai Lemon, Indiana's Omar Cooper, Texas A&M's KC Concepcion, Arizona State's Jordyn Tyson and Washington's Denzel Boston, a personal fave -- which likely means the Steelers could doubly achieve the blessed best-player-available standard in taking even the least of them.
It's almost as if the script's written.
• All have different strengths and shortcomings, obviously, but they largely offer the size McCarthy covets, in particular the 6-4 Boston. The only one under 6 feet is the 5-11 Lemon, and he's a screamer after the catch.
• Don't fret over how any drafted wide receiver will fit alongside Metcalf and Pittman. It's immaterial. A first-rounder needs to be the best one can get. Adjust roles over time.
• Anyone heard from Aaron Rodgers?
No?
Hm. But I thought Art Rooney told everyone in Phoenix last month that he expected a decision by the draft. Which, uh, would be now. But then, yesterday, he backtracked and replied, "I don't know" when Rodgers might deign to let the Steelers know who their No. 1 quarterback will be for the 2026 season.
I can't with this stuff anymore. It was easier when it could all be blamed on Mike Tomlin.
• He's 42. He'll turn 43 in December. He wasn't all that awesome in 2025. We're so far past the ridiculous stage of this storyline that it's almost amusing.
• Regardless, the sand between Rodgers' toes can't -- and from what I understand from within, won't -- influence the Steelers' approach to taking a quarterback in this draft. If they see one they like, even if in the first round -- immensely unlikely -- they'll take him.
Good. This sort of puzzle, as I'd hope half a decade of this would prove to even the casual public, doesn't get solved with a figurative snap. A baby Joe Burrow's not about to be dropped by some stork on the doorstep over on South Water Street. It takes quality AND quantity. Throw Will Howard at it. Throw this draft pick at it. Throw the 2027 first-rounder at it.
Get aggressive. If something sweet unfolds in the interim, that's great.
• My choice from these quarterbacks would be Drew Allar, another from Penn State, and I won't be influenced by any criticism out of State College. Not when he had zero high-end wide receivers there. Not when James Franklin had a wretched history with quarterbacks (except for being able to recruit them, much like his full head-coaching tenure). Not when Allar's 2025 season was ended early by an ankle injury.
He's 6-5, 230, he can move well enough for his frame, he has hands the size of Kenny Pickett's head, and, by the way, he's got the biggest arm in the class. By a mile.
I don't care if he struggles to align his upper and lower bodies, or that he'll occasionally make a mystifying misfire, or that he couldn't beat whatever brand-name Big 10 opponent the Nittany Lions happened to be facing on a given Saturday. Because all of that can be coached up.
Those other attributes can't.
• I sound impatient, I'm sure, but the truth is, there's time if any or all of the younger quarterbacks the Steelers add show meaningful progress. Allar and/or Howard can mature at a fair pace.
• If nothing else, and this is just an intangible, it'd be fun to hear the better part of this fan base sound a whole lot more upbeat than what I've picked up since January. And I'm convinced that only about 90% of that is related to still waiting on a quarterback who warrants their faith and excitement.
• If it isn't Simpson in the second round or Allar in the second/third, just pass. Can't keep collecting late-rounders and crossing fingers.
• There are more Day 2 inside linebackers to be had than interior defensive linemen, but that's the only reason I'd prefer the former to the latter. I suspect that a lot of the challenges related to Patrick Queen and Payton Wilson were rooted in the big bodies being shoved back into their laps, so why attack the symptom rather than the problem?
• The endless debate about who to credit/blame for draft picks ... has met its end. And I like it.
McCarthy's almost gone out of his way to distance himself from the process, deferring to Khan and Weidl at every turn, bypassing five of six scheduled pro days and stating time and again that his time can be better spent on the new coaches, the new playbook and their plans for the summer ahead.
That's as it should be. It was never easily gauged to what extent Tomlin influenced the drafts, but it's always seemed to me that these should chiefly be the responsibility of those who invest 362 relentlessly focused days a year into the preparation.
• I'll take a tight end, too. It's now Pat Freiermuth, Darnell Washington and, um ...
• Another corner, as well. One who doesn't break as easily as all these others of late.
• Am I wrong to unflinchingly trust Khan in these settings? Hasn't he seemed to nail them all so far? Including free agency?
• Thanks for reading my football coverage. Tons more to come in the next few days.
Oh, and a bit of a plea: If someone says something nice about Pittsburgh, whether here in Downtown or over on the North Shore, feel free to do like other citizens do in other cities and show some class about it. No one else cares to hear our strange, senseless self-deprecation.
Either that, or just send them to us, and I'll take care of it myself! ;)
THE ASYLUM
DK: Final 21 thoughts ahead of the No. 21 pick
What a wonderful windup it's been to the NFL Draft that takes to the stage tonight in the heart and soul of Western Pennsylvania and, in so many ways, the heart and soul of football itself.
Wednesday alone brought fans from far and wide to sport their franchise's colors, to support their team's selections and, soon enough, to boo Roger Goodell till their bleeping lungs burn. I was blessed with the chance to meet more than a few fine folks at our Downtown HQ/shop. From Baltimore to the Black Forest of Germany, from Montréal to Mexico, from Washington state to Washington, Pa., they kept coming and coming and ... yeah, it'll pale compared to what's on the way the rest of the week.
Now, at the same time, by evening's end, at least among the locals, all the discussion and debate will be pretty much identical: Who'd the Steelers take? And why? And who's next?
They're slotted at No. 21 in the first round, and thus, I'm here to offer 21 final thoughts:
• All else being equal, I'd be delighted if Omar Khan, Andy Weidl and Mike McCarthy could land Olaivavega Ioane, the dynamic guard out of Penn State. His 6-foot-4, 330-pound frame, monstrous hands and matching athleticism make for a football floor that's arguably as high as his ceiling. On top of that, he heads the class at his position, and it's a position of uncertainty in Pittsburgh with the free-agency departure of Isaac Seumalo.
• One hitch: The Ravens and others like him, too. And the Ravens, whose offensive line needs outweigh those of their archrivals, are slotted at No. 14. So, given that Ioane's stock seems to have risen in recent weeks and some analysts have him as high as the top 10, that'd require a trade up -- way up -- to keep Baltimore at bay.
• I'm not wild about that. I don't mind trading up. Khan's got 12 picks for seven rounds, and there's zero chance he'll use them all on players. But that doesn't mean he's got to waste them on an excessive expenditure, either.
• To wit: Spencer Anderson's 25 years old, he's 6-5 and 305 (with the easy capability to add pounds if he'd start at guard), and he just might blossom if they'd ever stop bouncing him all over the line. I'm not suggesting he'll be All-Pro or whatever, but he's a legit leader in that room, and cohesiveness matters almost as much as individual performance for these guys.
Again, I like Ioane. I'm just not sure guard should be management's top priority.
• Heck, even if sticking to the trenches, I'd see defensive line as a greater need. Who lines up next to Derrick Harmon if/when Cam Heyward ever retires?
• What if Ioane's gone?
For me, that's easy: Wide receiver.
On one hand, it meets a bona fide need. DK Metcalf and newly acquired Mike Pittman will be Nos. 1 and 2 -- all hail an actual No. 2 in the house, by the way! -- but both are 28 years old, and that's running uncomfortably close to the fateful 30 line at that position. And to tell the truth, I'd still want another wide receiver from this draft even if that's the first-rounder.
Additionally, there are SIX wide receivers expected to go within the top two-thirds of this first round and FIVE of those in the 10-20 range -- USC's Makai Lemon, Indiana's Omar Cooper, Texas A&M's KC Concepcion, Arizona State's Jordyn Tyson and Washington's Denzel Boston, a personal fave -- which likely means the Steelers could doubly achieve the blessed best-player-available standard in taking even the least of them.
It's almost as if the script's written.
• All have different strengths and shortcomings, obviously, but they largely offer the size McCarthy covets, in particular the 6-4 Boston. The only one under 6 feet is the 5-11 Lemon, and he's a screamer after the catch.
• Don't fret over how any drafted wide receiver will fit alongside Metcalf and Pittman. It's immaterial. A first-rounder needs to be the best one can get. Adjust roles over time.
• Anyone heard from Aaron Rodgers?
No?
Hm. But I thought Art Rooney told everyone in Phoenix last month that he expected a decision by the draft. Which, uh, would be now. But then, yesterday, he backtracked and replied, "I don't know" when Rodgers might deign to let the Steelers know who their No. 1 quarterback will be for the 2026 season.
I can't with this stuff anymore. It was easier when it could all be blamed on Mike Tomlin.
• He's 42. He'll turn 43 in December. He wasn't all that awesome in 2025. We're so far past the ridiculous stage of this storyline that it's almost amusing.
• Regardless, the sand between Rodgers' toes can't -- and from what I understand from within, won't -- influence the Steelers' approach to taking a quarterback in this draft. If they see one they like, even if in the first round -- immensely unlikely -- they'll take him.
Good. This sort of puzzle, as I'd hope half a decade of this would prove to even the casual public, doesn't get solved with a figurative snap. A baby Joe Burrow's not about to be dropped by some stork on the doorstep over on South Water Street. It takes quality AND quantity. Throw Will Howard at it. Throw this draft pick at it. Throw the 2027 first-rounder at it.
Get aggressive. If something sweet unfolds in the interim, that's great.
• My choice from these quarterbacks would be Drew Allar, another from Penn State, and I won't be influenced by any criticism out of State College. Not when he had zero high-end wide receivers there. Not when James Franklin had a wretched history with quarterbacks (except for being able to recruit them, much like his full head-coaching tenure). Not when Allar's 2025 season was ended early by an ankle injury.
He's 6-5, 230, he can move well enough for his frame, he has hands the size of Kenny Pickett's head, and, by the way, he's got the biggest arm in the class. By a mile.
I don't care if he struggles to align his upper and lower bodies, or that he'll occasionally make a mystifying misfire, or that he couldn't beat whatever brand-name Big 10 opponent the Nittany Lions happened to be facing on a given Saturday. Because all of that can be coached up.
Those other attributes can't.
• I sound impatient, I'm sure, but the truth is, there's time if any or all of the younger quarterbacks the Steelers add show meaningful progress. Allar and/or Howard can mature at a fair pace.
• If nothing else, and this is just an intangible, it'd be fun to hear the better part of this fan base sound a whole lot more upbeat than what I've picked up since January. And I'm convinced that only about 90% of that is related to still waiting on a quarterback who warrants their faith and excitement.
• If it isn't Simpson in the second round or Allar in the second/third, just pass. Can't keep collecting late-rounders and crossing fingers.
• There are more Day 2 inside linebackers to be had than interior defensive linemen, but that's the only reason I'd prefer the former to the latter. I suspect that a lot of the challenges related to Patrick Queen and Payton Wilson were rooted in the big bodies being shoved back into their laps, so why attack the symptom rather than the problem?
• The endless debate about who to credit/blame for draft picks ... has met its end. And I like it.
McCarthy's almost gone out of his way to distance himself from the process, deferring to Khan and Weidl at every turn, bypassing five of six scheduled pro days and stating time and again that his time can be better spent on the new coaches, the new playbook and their plans for the summer ahead.
That's as it should be. It was never easily gauged to what extent Tomlin influenced the drafts, but it's always seemed to me that these should chiefly be the responsibility of those who invest 362 relentlessly focused days a year into the preparation.
• I'll take a tight end, too. It's now Pat Freiermuth, Darnell Washington and, um ...
• Another corner, as well. One who doesn't break as easily as all these others of late.
• Am I wrong to unflinchingly trust Khan in these settings? Hasn't he seemed to nail them all so far? Including free agency?
• Thanks for reading my football coverage. Tons more to come in the next few days.
Oh, and a bit of a plea: If someone says something nice about Pittsburgh, whether here in Downtown or over on the North Shore, feel free to do like other citizens do in other cities and show some class about it. No one else cares to hear our strange, senseless self-deprecation.
Either that, or just send them to us, and I'll take care of it myself! ;)
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