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Brian Batko's Steelers chat: 04.06.26
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Brian Batko
12:00
Hi everyone, hope you had a good holiday week/weekend/spring break/whatever. Steelers are getting closer to hosting the NFL draft and I'm sure you all have some questions, comments, etc
Jim
12:02
The college game deems to more wide opened than the NFL, one thought is that the hash marks are much wider in college resulting in more over the middle plays and less fuel goals. Any chance the NFL would widen those marks?
Brian Batko
12:03
Hey Jim. I've actually thought about this before. It came up a couple weeks ago when I was chatting with Arthur Smith about his transition to Ohio State. During draft time, it kind of makes some sense to standardize the college and pro games, but I also kind of like that the two are somewhat stylistically different. So to answer you, I'd go with no.
rick51244
12:04
What is a realistic trade package that we can offer this year to move up in the first round next year?  We would need to do it with a perennial bottom feeder.  Raiders/Jets/etc.  And a team that is not in our division.
Brian Batko
12:06
That's another one I've been pondering, Rick. I believe the general rule of thumb is that the next year's pick is worth a round less than the current year, but that might be flipped given the projections for the 2027 draft to be loaded. Check out Ray Fittipaldo's piece exploring that over the weekend https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/2026-nfl-draft/2026/04/04/steelers...
JB
12:07
I say the Steelers trade up in the first round,  possibly to get in front of the Ravens as they are rumored to want to select a WR as well.  Thoughts?
Brian Batko
12:10
I'm usually against trading up, as a matter of draft philosophy, but this is a unique year for a couple reasons. First of all, the draft is here in Pittsburgh. We know how much the whole ordeal has meant to the city, to the organization. While you can't let that infringe upon football-centric decisions, there just has to be some sort of human nature element to wanting to make a splash here, right? And it's not just a pie-in-the-sky notion. The Steelers actually have amassed the stockpile of picks to do so. They do have the expiring resources to make something work, even if it's a bit of an overpay.
Epiballo
12:10
Hi Brian - thanks for the chats! If Rodgers retires, what are your thoughts on signing Dobbs. I see him as Rudolph 2.0.
Brian Batko
12:13
That would be fine by me. He has built-in familiarity with the franchise, obviously, but also with OC Brian Angelichio, who was with Josh Dobbs in Minnesota when he went on his little mini-run  as a starter a couple years ago (which didn't end well, but alas).
KordellTolls
12:14
Bats what's with the irrational exuberance over Drew Allar from Steeler fans? His college production screams third string backup in the NFL. As Gerry D says, he always came up small in big games. Seems like Brock Osweiler 2.0.
Brian Batko
12:17
Size, athleticism, arm strength That's pretty much the big 3 when it comes to raw QB traits. You can't teach height. I suppose you can do speed training and whatnot but there's a ceiling on all that. And arm strength, yeah, there are ways to improve that but you kinda have enough of it or you don't. If you have more than enough, you're naturally gonna intrigue teams who believe they can work with you on the skills like accuracy, decision-making. pre-snap reads, things of that nature.
Rooney
12:20
Do you take the best guard that might be available or the second best free safety? Also, need two receivers. Thank you!
Brian Batko
12:21
Basically, Vega Ioane or Dillon Thieneman? To be honest, those are two prospects I usually click on rather quickly when I mess around with the mock draft simulators online, so good question. I think I'd lean Thieneman. Maybe he's not quite as safe as Ioane, but I also feel like his skill set might be a little more rare, at least in this draft.
ralph
12:22
Brian , hate to beat a dead horse but how can a multi billion dollar franchise or a business , for that matter, allow themselves to be at risk for one individual ? i think they must already know AR's decision. That is the only thing that makes sense.
Brian Batko
12:24
Hey Ralph. My gut tells me you can never truly *know* anything with Aaron Rodgers, but yes, I tend to agree with you that it all makes more sense if the Steelers at least have a very strong feeling about what he'll decide. And that's kind of what they've been saying, hinting at, and so on and so forth. For two years now, really.
Dormont Legacy
12:25
Brian - is it too early to make a prediction on next year's record?  Lots to still happen - Rodgers, the draft, new staff's first off season camps...  If you can't make a prediction yet what are the big things you'll be looking for before you do and how will they influence your prediction?
Brian Batko
12:27
On one hand, yeah, it's definitely too early. On the other hand, we're just sitting here chatting about football at 12:25 p.m. Eastern on a Monday, so who cares? I'll go with 9-8
Draft King
12:27
I firmly believe Rodgers is returning and the Steelers already know that. What do you expect his contract to look like?
Brian Batko
12:30
Maybe $15 to $20 million? That accounts for NFL salary cap inflation, QB scarcity, and perhaps the argument that he outplayed his $13.65 million last year. And whatever they do, it's probably fair to include incentives in there
Stairway to seventh seed
12:30
Brian: the more cynical Steeler fans fear that the team will make a dumb move just to "make a splash" in a draft at home.  Most of the Steeler media discounts this fear.  Given that any move can be whitewashed after the fact, what moves do you think would fall into the category of "I bet they wouldn't have done that if the draft were in city X"?  Drafting Simpson at 21?  Drafting Allar in the 2nd or 3rd?  Taking Kyle Louis as a 210 lb linebacker?  A big move up for player X, if so who?
Brian Batko
12:33
Well, you're right that you can always explain it away afterward no matter what. The Steelers obviously didn't want the outside world to think that Kenny Pickett being a Pitt guy was the deciding factor in that high-stakes draft pick. But yeah, to your point, I'd say reaching for a QB would certainly raise eyebrows, as would a trade-up. I guess wide receiver is always a relatively "sexy" pick. There are plenty of Penn State fans walking around Pittsburgh and rooting for the Steelers on a daily basis, too. Or how about selecting a player who's here in person for the ultimate draft night spectacle? But I'm not trying to get too far into the conspiracy theory angles.
Brian
12:34
Is there anything that points to whether members of this coaching staff have a better history of developing players better than MT's staff?
Brian Batko
12:37
Off the top of my head, I immediately go to Mike McCarthy's development of Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay. He should get a lot of credit for that, in my opinion. But by that same token, Mike Tomlin and his staff drafted, then developed Cam Heyward, TJ Watt.
Bayou Steelers Fan Here
12:37
Wassup BB!! I want us to trade BACK in the 1st round so we can get extra picks, only to swing those and move back into the 2nd/3rd round so we get better talent. Just don't remember the last time we traded back in the 1st! What say you?
Brian Batko
12:38
Casey Hampton is the last time if I'm not mistaken. That's all well and good on paper, but the caveat with that is it takes a team wanting to trade up. I'm not sure how many teams will want to do that in this draft.
Jim Bow Dean
12:39
If you look at the top ten QBs for career yards, TDs, and playoff wins you come up with 15 unique players. Every single one of them is 6’-2” or taller with Drew Brees being the exception. On average, they are 6’-3” tall. It’s a tall man’s position, isn’t it? AFC North QB?
Brian Batko
12:42
Yeah, traditional positional archetypes are traditional for a reason. They've been proven to work over time. And I'm sure Ben Roethlisberger's success here was even more reason to operate under that philosophy for this franchise in particular.
Takoma Tom
12:43
Can you tell Omar and AR2 to stop shopping for starting QBs at the dollar store. They've only had moderate success and no future. There's a reason another team is paying them to leave.
Brian Batko
12:43
Two schools of thought there: Moneyball, value-based roster-building in which a cheap QB is a cheat code. And then there's the old "you get what you pay for" method.
Pittfan
12:43
Hi Brian. I believe the Steelers have done a decent job filling holes this off season. Without addressing the elephant in the room, QB, is there a must have position that must be addressed in the first round?
Brian Batko
12:43
No
Steeltowtim
12:44
Brian, The last few years our first round pick was pretty well known at least the position. So what position do you think we pick?
Brian Batko
12:45
I agree with you that this is the toughest year in quite a while to peg that first-round position on April 6. Because of the options that figure to be there and reading some of the Omar Khan tea leaves from the combine, which can sometimes be a red herring, I'll say wide receiver.
Jeff M
12:47
Hi Bats, can you see WR Chris Bell as a day 2 option? I know he might miss some or all of his rookie season. But since Rodgers probably won't throw to a young WR anyhow it shouldn't really matter. He has a lot of upside if the ever find their long-term QB.
Brian Batko
12:50
He's not one of my preferred receiver options in this class, Jeff. Recent ACL tear is a tough one for me to get past, especially in a year when there are so many healthy wideouts in basically the same tier as him. Just makes me want to be risk-averse. I'm also just not sure what he's great at in his game. To me, a lot of the other receivers have definite weaknesses but also definite strengths that could allow them to hit.
Tim
12:51
Do you believe the Steelers have 2-3 elite players they may move picks to go up and get like past drafts with Troy and regrettable Bush?  I’m thinking Tate, Downs and Thieneman.  You?
Brian Batko
12:53
Sure, they might. They never want to offer up that info, for obvious competitive advantage reasons, but it's even harder to get a read on them this year because their pre-draft process has been so different from years past. Not as much pro day presence, the visits are coming in slowly, etc.
Matt
12:53
Would drafting a QB and signing Rodger’s mean the end of Mason Rudolph’s tenure with the Steelers?
Brian Batko
12:54
Yeah I wouldn't want to bet on him emerging from that four-some unscathed. Kind of like if you go golfing with Tiger Woods.
Lessgo!
12:56
Hi, Brian - draft predictions?  Are we moving up, staying put, or moving back?  BPA or offensive or defensive pick?
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