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The tea leaves are starting to connect
The Pittsburgh Steelers drafted their likely next RB1 in the form of Iowa running back Kaleb Johnson. The Big Ten’s leader in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns brings a unique balance of speed and power that will fit great in Arthur Smith’s scheme, and he will be set up to succeed immediately.
Not only did the Steelers get a new potential star, Johnson is also a big hint that Aaron Rodgers is on his way to Pittsburgh. As the X account Blitzburgh pointed out, Kaleb Johnson posted an Instagram story recently of him and the four-time MVP training together.
This, combined with the fact that the Steelers passed on selecting Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders not once but twice, tells us that the Steelers know Rodgers is heading to Pittsburgh. Getting the four-time MVP in an offense with DK Metcalf, George Pickens, Jaylen Warren, and Johnson is going to be a sight to see this season, should it become a reality as expected.
With the 83rd-overall pick, the Pittsburgh Steelers selected a running mate for Jaylen Warren.
It was a long night of waiting for Steelers fans. With their second-round pick sent to Seattle as part of the DK Metcalf trade, and no rumored trades of George Pickens bearing fruit, the Steelers didn’t pick until number 83 overall.
Meanwhile, every national pundit continued to hem and haw about whether pick 83 was the floor for QB Shedeur Sanders.
The Steelers instead opted to draft Iowa running back Kaleb Johnson, the first draft profile I wrote for this draft cycle, clear back in February.
Johnson had a breakout 2024 season where he finished seventh in rushing with 1,537 yards and 21 touchdowns. Iowa ran a ton of outside zone, so his fit in Arthur Smith’s wide zone scheme should be obvious.
Kaleb Johnson said the biggest change he made ahead of his breakout junior season was a commitment to running more physically. He said he ran too “timid” early in his college career. I’d say mission accomplished pic.twitter.com/TZgtNThYu6
Johnson stands at 6’1 and 224 pounds with 4.57 speed. That 40-time is likely what dropped Johnson to the third round, as he did not do any other testing at the NFL Combine. That speed doesn’t worry me much, though, as Iowa has said their GPS-tracking clocked him reaching speeds over 20 miles per hour in game action this season.
One of Kaleb Johnson’s best traits is his contact balance. It’s a big reason why he was 5th in the nation in yards after contact (1,060). Of backs with at least 200 carries, KJ trailed only Ashton Jeanty in average yards after contact per attempt (4.42) pic.twitter.com/SWsav4dai8
The Pittsburgh Steelers take the consensus All-American running back
All eyes were on the Pittsburgh Steelers with the 83rd pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Both Shedeur Sanders and Jalen Milroe remained on the board, and the Steelers seemed like the team that could end Sanders’ slide. Instead, they get a consensus All-American running back to complement Jaylen Warren in the backfield.
The Steelers drafted Iowa running back Kaleb Johnson, and now have a very dangerous backfield tandem.
Johnson led the Big Ten in rushing yards in 2024 with 1,537. He added 21 rushing scores, which also led the Big Ten.
While Johnson is a terrific player, the Steelers passing on a quarterback twice all but guarantees they know Aaron Rodgers is coming to Pittsburgh. Team President Art Rooney II even said Rodgers wants to come to the Steelers while speaking to Steelers Nation Radio. If one of Sanders or Milroe is available when the Steelers pick at No. 123 overall, it feels all but certain they’d take one of them with that pick, considering Omar Khan said they’d add two more quarterbacks before training camp.
The team chose Iowa running back Kaleb Johnson at No. 83 overall. This is only the Steelers’ second pick of the draft, as the team had traded its second-rounder to the Seahawks in the D.K. Metcalf deal.
While the Steelers continuing to punt on their QB need is probably more newsworthy at this point, Johnson is poised to become a key player for the team (and wear a similar uniform). The ex-Hawkeye joins a Steelers squad that has two veterans (Jaylen Warren, Kenneth Gainwell) on one-year contracts.
The No. 3-ranked running back on Dane Brugler’s The Athletic big board, Johnson nevertheless lasted until the early third round. He represents the Steelers’ biggest RB commitment since their 2021 Najee Harris first-round pick. Warren is tied to a second-round RFA tender, while Gainwell signed for less than $2MM. As Harris moved to Los Angeles on a one-year deal, the Steelers have fully retooled in the backfield. It remains unknown who will be handing these RBs the ball, however.
Johnson led the Big Ten in rushing last season, averaging 6.4 yards per attempt and scoring 21 touchdowns on the ground. That helped him earn consensus All-American honors in 2024 and cement his status as one the most highly-rated backs in a strong draft class. Despite a lengthy wait, Johnson could see plenty of playing time early in his NFL career. Meanwhile, uncertainty continues to loom regarding how the Steelers will proceed under center.
Could we be one step closer to Rodgers signing with the Steelers?
As Night Two of the 2024 NFL Draft rolls on, the Pittsburgh Steelers still wait to find out if they will be getting Aaron Rodgers to be their starting quarterback for the 2025 season. Rodgers met with the Steelers at the facility and left without signing a deal. However, Art Rooney remains undeterred. In fact, he flat-out said Rodgers wants to come to Pittsburgh on Steelers Nation Radio.
“We’re still kind of getting the same signals that we’ve been getting recently,” Rooney said. “He does want to come here, so I do think we may get word soon.”
Art Rooney II to SNR on Aaron Rodgers: “We’re still kind of getting the same signals that we’ve been getting recently. He does want to come here so I do think we may get word soon.” https://t.co/Ug6qm0KaxX
The Steelers have Mason Rudolph on the roster, so they know they have a potential starter on the roster already should they miss out on Rodgers. Rodgers is coming off a season in which he threw 28 touchdowns with the New York Jets, and appears to have only one option for 2025 should he want to keep playing, and that’s Pittsburgh.
With the third round of the NFL draft ongoing, Aaron Rodgerslooms over the developing quarterback landscape. Connections to the Steelers continue as the team weighs a potential rookie addition.
Owner Art Rooney II said during a Friday appearance on Steelers Now that Rodgers does “want” to come to Pittsburgh (h/t ESPN’s Brooke Pryor). He added news on this long-running front may be coming soon as a result.
Team and player have remained in communication this week, with the Steelers obviously preferring to have clarity on whether or not Rodgers will sign prior to the start of the draft. It remains to be seen if the 41-year-old will play at all next year, but if he does a short Pittsburgh stint would come as no surprise given the interest shown in him. No timeline is in place, but a number of QB prospects are still on the board with the Steelers due to pick 83rd overall.
During his recent public comments on his situation, Rodgers said personal matters are currently receiving the bulk of his attention during his lengthy free agent stint. The four-time MVP has communicated to teams he is prepared to take a one-year deal in the $10MM range, an arrangement which would certainly leave the door open to the addition of a rookie. Rodgers is (at least publicly) on board with suitors moving forward with a QB draft pick, and it will be interesting to see if the Steelers do indeed go that route soon.
Pittsburgh was among the teams which had a first-round grade on Jaxson Dart, but the team turned down the opportunity to select him and instead took Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon. Shedeur Sanders, meanwhile, remains on the board with the opening two rounds in the books. Head coach Mike Tomlin is believed to be a fan of Sanders, making him a potential target with the team’s third-rounder.
In any event, Rooney’s comments made it clear a rookie would not be expected to handle starting duties right away in 2025. The team has Mason Rudolphback in the fold for next season, and Rodgers would of course occupy the QB1 role in the event he were to take Pittsburgh’s long-standing offer. A long-term solution under center remains a logical goal, though.
“It’s going to be somebody that will be developing and may play down the road,” Rooney said (via Alan Saunders of Steelers Now). “It’s not like somebody that’s going to have a big impact on this season.”
The Steelers have made it clear they will enter training camp with four quarterbacks, two more than they currently have. Rodgers is obviously still in play to join the team at some point as the wait continues with respect to seeing Pittsburgh’s draft plans.
How ya feeling Steelers fans? Gather along with your fellow black and gold fans to talk through the second and third rounds. Let us know what you’re eating. What you’re drinking. What are your expectations for tonight coming out of Round 1?
Derrick Harmon’s mother passed away after he was drafted – she was his biggest supporter, and he made sure everyone knew.
New Steelers defensive tackle Derrick Harmon had something far more important than football on his mind when Pittsburgh drafted him in the first round on Thursday night.
Harmon, at home in Michigan, knew exactly what he would do as soon as he got off the phone with reporters: visit his mother in the hospital.
“She’s on life support, so after I get off the phone with you guys, I’m gonna head straight to the hospital and tell her, her son got drafted,” Harmon said via Sports Illustrated.
Saine’s impact in Harmon’s life was something he constantly talked about during his football career.
“I lived with moms, and me and moms was hurting,” Harmon told The Oregonian in October. “She really broke her back trying to get me to every camp, every visit I could get to. Any time somebody invited me to a camp, she tried her best to get me out there. I never took that for granted. I still thank her to this day for what she did.”
Saine suffered a stroke during Harmon’s time at Michigan State that paralyzed her left side. Prior to that, she had undergone several brain surgeries, still working full-time as a single mother.
After he was drafted, Harmon credited Saine’s resilience as a major inspiration: “Always in the back of my head from the beginning of my college career was, ‘Why can’t I keep going if I’m tired or I’m injured, whatever it is, why can’t I keep going if she can get up and keep going after brain surgery.’ So just her resilience and her hard work, really.”
After he transferred to Oregon, Harmon used his NIL money to buy his mom a wheelchair-accessible van.
Although he was happy to get drafted, Harmon said the moment was bittersweet as his mom wasn’t by his side: “She worked as hard just as me to get to this moment.”
However, he was still able to share the news with her that night.
The Steelers could deal Pickens by the end of the day
The Pittsburgh Steelers enter Day Two of the NFL Draft without a second-round pick, as they sent that pick to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for wide receiver D.K. Metcalf. With that in mind, there has been a lot of smoke surrounding Pittsburgh’s other starting wide receiver, George Pickens. Fox NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported that the Steelers have “taken and made calls” regarding trading Pickens, with the Green Bay Packers being named as an interested team. Now, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports the Steelers are still taking calls on Pickens.
“The Steelers have been receiving calls about the availability of WR George Pickens, per sources,” Russini said on X. “Pittsburgh is open to conversations as it navigates Friday night without a second-round pick.”
The Steelers have been receiving calls about the availability of WR George Pickens, per sources.
Pittsburgh is open to conversations as it navigates Friday night without a second-round pick (traded for DK Metcalf). pic.twitter.com/BZa9ubyd4z
As discussed in a recent piece regarding teams that could trade for Pickens, the Dallas Cowboys would be the team I would keep the closest eye on. They hold pick No. 44, and they are known to make knee-jerk trades (they traded a fourth-round pick for Jonathan Mingo). A deal between Pittsburgh and Dallas sending Pickens and a fourth-round pick to the Cowboys in exchange for a second-round pick and a fifth-round pick would be a fair deal for both sides.
Other teams to watch, potentially, are the Houston Texans and Packers. The Texans don’t have another starting receiver opposite Nico Collins, and Green Bay would benefit from yet another upgrade. Their vertical threat, Christian Watson, suffered a torn ACL in Week 18, and his injury history may be enough for the Packers to look elsewhere for their No. 2 wide receiver. Regardless, this is something to monitor as Day Two of the NFL Draft approaches and rolls on.
Aaron Rodgers received an offer to start for the Steelers at free agency’s outset. That was more than six weeks ago. The future Hall of Fame quarterback has not determined if he will play in 2025, even as previous reports pointed to it. The Steelers are also not believed to be Rodgers’ first choice.
It would make sense if the team received some degree of assurance Rodgers would sign, but that still does not appear to be the case. The Steelers also are believed to have reached out for clarity before the draft, as The Exhibit’s Josina Anderson reports the team communicated with Rodgers this week in hopes he would give an answer at least 48 hours before the draft. The Steelers’ Harmon pick could be a sign the team received the answer it wanted, but considering how Rodgers has played his free agency so far, his top suitor may well remain in the dark.
The Steelers enter Day 2 of the draft without a second-round pick, having dealt it to the Seahawks for D.K. Metcalf. This limits the team’s chances to add one of the top remaining quarterbacks. Connections to Shedeur SandersandJaxson Dart came out during the pre-draft process. Dart went to the Giants at No. 25, while Sanders remains on the board.
Although the Colorado QB’s stock has undeniably dipped since the Buffaloes’ season ended, it would still surprise if Sanders were available by the time the Steelers’ third-round pick (No. 83) went on the clock. That would put a trade-up into play, though an early Jalen Milroeconnection emerged as well. The Steelers also did work on Quinn Ewers, Will Howard and Kyle McCord. Each member of trio may well be there by No. 83, though Milroe is not expected to fall that far. Pittsburgh adding Ewers, Howard or McCord, however, would call into question the team’s plan for 2025.
If Rodgers continues to pause a Steelers signing, the organization may be forced to act. Kirk Cousins has come up at multiple junctures for the AFC North team, but a roster with both he and Rodgers would not make sense. Cousins is not believed to be interested in waiving his no-trade clause for a team that adds a potential rookie starter.
The Steelers could attempt to thread the needle by adding a third-round QB or using a Day 3 pick on the position, keeping the door open for Cousins or Rodgers to accompany Mason Rudolph. But the team will run the risk of losing out altogether — depending on the Falcons’ decision (which still involves a team taking on a sizable chunk of Cousins’ money) and Rodgers’ retirement call. The Steelers are believed to want to make their QB draft investment this year or next, but they held off on Dart and Sanders last night, having been burned by a QB reach (for Kenny Pickett) recently.
While Mike Tomlin has said he would feel comfortable starting Rudolph, that probably should not even be considered Plan B for the Steelers. Cousins or a Day 2 rookie probably would be the team’s preferred starter, if Rodgers refuses to sign. Art Rooney II said the team is OK waiting on Rodgers and expressed confidence at the owners meetings Rodgers would sign. But this draft news does confirm some understandable impatience on the organization’s part. It will be interesting to see how the Steelers proceed tonight.
