Steelers mailbag: Did Omar Khan botch Pittsburgh’s first-round pick?

It’s the first week of May, and the wait for Aaron Rodgers continues. While the 42-year-old QB hasn’t given the Pittsburgh Steelers an answer, I’m more than happy to provide some to your questions. Let’s dive right into the mailbag.

Note: Submitted questions have been edited for clarity and length. 

Do you agree that the Steelers were caught off guard and mishandled their first-round pick? The Cowboys were on the clock at 20, and the Steelers took it for granted that the Cowboys would not be taking (Makai) Lemon and, further, nobody would trade into that spot, so the congratulatory call was made and that was obviously premature. I think they bungled it, as I feel they didn’t think through all the possibilities. — Michael H.

Omar Khan didn’t advance through the front office in the traditional way. He was never a boots-on-the-ground scout, writing reports and evaluating talent. Instead, he earned the role of GM (and a cool nickname, “The Khan Artist,” from Mike Tomlin) by being aware of league happenings and, in the draft, making calculated moves to land priority players. The Steelers were armed with a league-high 12 draft picks, more than enough to make a splash on Night 1. However, he responded with an embarrassing moment for the host team. Particularly after the Steelers used a fourth-round pick on a return specialist (Kaden Wetjen), it was fair to question if Khan should have made a more aggressive push in the first round.

That said, I completely disagree with the narrative that the Steelers “panicked.” During the pre-draft process, they set their board and run through a variety of scenarios. Especially when you consider Lemon was expected to go off the board before the Steelers (the Rams were the team everyone was talking about), the team had to be prepared for the situation it encountered and decide how offensive tackle Max Iheanachor stacked up against safety Dillon Thieneman, WR Omar Cooper Jr. and others. Ultimately, the team decided the quality of tackles fell off a cliff after the first round and that it could still get a good receiver early in the second round. To his credit, Khan began to correct his mistake by trading up to land Germie Bernard, who I believe was one of their best picks of the draft, in the second round.

Are the Steelers setting themselves up for a Broderick Jones repeat? We have once again drafted an unpolished “project” tackle, who may be asked to swing from his natural side (like we did with Jones earlier in his career). Both Jones and Iheanachor were seen as high-ceiling/low-floor guys who need development. — Duane R. 



I understand your concern because there certainly are some parallels. Maybe I’m just being optimistic, but let me give you three reasons I think it will be different with Iheanachor:

1. Physically, Jones was super athletic, but he came in needing to build strength and refine his body. Instead, he put on some bad weight (and then had to drop it before camp last year). When we met Iheanachor in person, he’s already well-built and should be able to add more muscle.

2. Iheanachor is more experienced, even if he started football recently. He started 31 games at Arizona State, while Jones started in 19 at Georgia.

3. Most importantly, Jones was coached by Matt Canada’s lame duck offensive line coach, Pat Meyer. Iheanachor gets the benefit of James Campen. The new O-line coach has a proven track record after turning several mid-round picks into Pro Bowlers, including fourth-round pick David Bakhtiari, fourth-round pick Josh Sitton, fourth-round pick T.J. Lang and fifth-round pick Corey Linsley.

Who’s the next Rooney in line to take over running the team and what’s their bio? — Anonymous U.

Dan Rooney, the son of Art II, is seemingly the heir apparent. The 36-year-old took a leading role in two recent initiatives: The Dublin game and the draft. Both were slam-dunk successes, proving he has the right business acumen to lead. I’m more intrigued by his football background. While Art II has joked that he’s not a defensive coordinator when asked detailed football questions, Dan is a former QB who played at Dartmouth. His football IQ will be an interesting wrinkle once he’s the new boss. I have a lot of faith he’ll do a great job.

How has this team let Aaron Rodgers take it hostage? Is there anything Rodgers could do that would make the team just decide it’s time to move on, other than him saying he’s not going to play? — Chris C.

The way this has dragged on has been a major power play by the 42-year-old QB. When Tomlin was the head coach, there was no question who was in charge; he had nearly two decades on the job and a locker room that was behind him until his very last day. Whether intentional or not, Rodgers is establishing that he holds all the power in this new relationship. Whenever he wants to sign, whoever he wants to be on the team, whatever he wants the game plan to be, he has successfully put himself ahead of the owner, the GM and the head coach. It’s Rodgers’ team now. He’s in total control of this situation.

I keep hearing that the team and Aaron Rodgers speak frequently. What exactly are they talking about? — Scott M.



Haha, great question. The honest answer: Mike McCarthy said they’re just a couple of football guys reminiscing about old war stories. But I get the sense you’re not looking for a literal answer. Here’s something I’ve asked myself during this process: How much time, energy and attention has Rodgers commanded that McCarthy and Khan could be dedicating to something else?

The Steelers really leaned into versatility and positional flexibility. Has it reached a point where there is too much ambiguity to how all the pieces fit? Any concern they’re treating versatility as a primary skill set rather than a bonus? — Mitch T.

Versatility has definitely been a massive buzzword around the Steelers facility lately. I hear your point. Years ago, Mike Hilton was an outstanding piece of the Steelers defense because the undersized slot corner was an elite blitzer. Being really, really good at one specific thing can provide a lot of value.

I don’t necessarily see this emphasis on versatility as a negative, because of the way they’ve explained it. They need receivers with inside-outside flex to make life easier on the QB. I can appreciate that for a team that will need to break in a young quarterback sooner rather than later. In the secondary, new DC Patrick Graham wants interchangeable parts so he can disguise coverages, something we’ve been hoping the Steelers would do more of for years.

To me, the most important thing will be to establish primary roles on the offensive line as soon as possible. There are about eight different ways you can piece together that group for Week 1. Injuries could force the Steelers to adjust midseason, but figuring out how the puzzle fits together early will be important for that young group to jell.

You’ll pardon me if I have Christian Hackenberg flashbacks over the Drew Allar selection. Why would they use a third-round pick on what is clearly a long-term project? — Mark L.

I would like this pick more if the Steelers drafted Allar in the fourth, instead of at the beginning of the third, but the reality is you often have to pick a quarterback a round earlier than you’d like. To me, this is McCarthy making a bet on himself. The Steelers pivoted from their mold of young, defensive-minded coaches because they wanted a head coach who could help identify, draft and develop the next franchise quarterback. Allar has all the things you can’t teach: big hands, huge frame, tremendous arm talent. But his footwork is a mess, his processing needs work and his accuracy can improve. The fact that the Steelers drafted a QB with so much upside and also so much to work on makes him the perfect canvas and measuring stick to evaluate McCarthy.

Prediction time. What number will the Steelers be picking from in the 2027 draft? — Andy D.

My way-too-early precision would be pick No. 20. The roster is better on paper, but the Steelers also benefited from Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson missing time last year. I imagine the Steelers will once again be fighting in the final weeks of the season to make the playoffs and will finish with around 10 wins.

With the Aaron Rodgers Mystery Show eating up more and more of the offseason (again), let’s pretend for a minute he decides to retire. What does the line of succession look like in a QB room with Will Howard, Mason Rudolph, and now Drew Allar? — Zachary S.



Because Allar needs so much work, I think the Steelers will want to bring him along as methodically as possible; ideally, that means giving him an entire year to sit and watch. During the bonus minicamp ahead of the draft, Howard and Rudolph split the first-team reps. I imagine that’s how the competition would begin, and Howard would be given every benefit of the doubt to win the job.

Do you think it is realistic to think that the Steelers will play, at some point during the 2026 regular season, either Will Howard or Drew Allar for evaluation purposes? — Abraham D.

It all depends if Rodgers comes back. I think he does, and the Steelers will probably have something to play for until the end. Even if they are surprisingly out of it, I don’t think Rodgers would accept a seat on the bench.

If Brendan Sorsby ends up in the supplemental draft, how high of a pick would you bid on him? — Mitch T.

According to an article by my colleague Justin Williams, “the crux of the investigation could be alleged bets Sorsby placed on Indiana football while he was redshirting as a true freshman for the Hoosiers in 2022 — which would be a cardinal sin of NCAA betting guidelines that could result in permanent ineligibility.” If that’s proven to be true, the Steelers would not want to take a risk. I really don’t think they would bid anything and would not want to get involved.

What kind of contract this offseason gets JPJ to stick around for a while? — Chris B.

Trent McDuffie and Sauce Gardner recently signed four-year deals worth upward of $120 million at the end of their rookie deals. Derek Stingley Jr. signed a three-year, $90 million deal. If I’m Joey Porter Jr.’s agent, I’m asking for $30 million a year.

If I’m the Steelers, I point out that McDuffie has been a first-team All-Pro and Gardner and Stingley have been selected to two Pro Bowls each, while Porter hasn’t been selected to one. I’d counter with something similar to what Tyson Campbell got in 2024 (four years, $76.5 million).

If I’m Porter’s agent, I say Porter is a top-10 corner and Campbell is top-30 and say, give me that $30 million. If I’m Khan, I say, what about DaRon Bland, a first-team All-Pro in 2023 who signed a four-year, $90 million deal in 2025?

I won’t continue this skit, but based on these comps and the way the market has exploded at the position, the Steelers will probably have to open their wallet pretty wide and give Porter around $22 million to $27 million per year.