Joe Rutter stories, Page 22

After hearing Zach Frazier’s draft night story, a local telecom company might want to sign him to an endorsement deal. Can you hear me now? Certainly not the Pittsburgh Steelers when coach Mike Tomlin phoned the former West Virginia center to inform him the team had selected him in the...

Payton Wilson Third-round pick, No. 98 overall ILB, N.C. State 6-4, 233 Stats: Capped injury-marred career at N.C. State by starting 23 games over final two seasons. He ranked fifth nationally with 138 tackles in 2023. Totaled 17.5 tackles for loss and had six sacks and three interceptions. Hometown: Hillsborough,...

Continuing a run of offensive players in the NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers took Michigan wide receiver Roman Wilson with their first pick of the third round Friday night, the No. 84 overall selection. Wilson joined tackle Troy Fautanu and center Zach Frazier as the team’s top three picks. The...

Zach Frazier Second-round pick, No. 51 overall C, West Virginia 6-foot-3, 313 pounds Stats: Started 37 games at center in his final three seasons with the Mountaineers Hometown: Fairmont, W.Va. Tidbits: Spent three seasons at a team captain at West Virginia. … Started 46 of 47 games, including nine at...

Less than four hours after being selected in the first round of the NFL Draft, Troy Fautanu was seated in Las Vegas’ Harry Reid International Airport awaiting a red-eye flight to Pittsburgh. Accompanied by his mother, father and sister, Fautanu had a layover in Detroit before continuing the final leg...

After ignoring tackle in the first round of the NFL Draft for more than two decades, the Pittsburgh Steelers lately have made it a trendy position on their board. For the second time in as many years, the Steelers selected a tackle with their top pick. Holding the No. 20...

For the first time in NFL history, quarterbacks could be drafted with the first four picks. Six could be selected in the first round. Wide receivers could be taken at a historical rate, too. NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah recently had as many 12 listed among his top 50 overall...

It makes perfect sense for the Pittsburgh Steelers to take a center early in the NFL Draft. Simply put, they do not have a viable candidate on the roster despite what general manager Omar Khan and coach Mike Tomlin continue to say about their internal options. Khan keeps dropping the name...

The Pittsburgh Steelers are clearing some salary cap space ahead of the NFL Draft. The contract of outside linebacker Alex Highsmith has been restructured, converting most of his $10.733 million salary into a signing bonus, NFL Network reported Wednesday. Highsmith is in the first year of a four-year, $68 million...

Of the five cornerbacks who dressed for the 2023 season opener, four no longer play for the Pittsburgh Steelers. That makes Joey Porter Jr., with all of 11 career starts, the longest-tenured Steelers player at his position as the organization prepares for the NFL Draft. Patrick Peterson was released and...

The work done in the offseason, via signings and trades, has saturated the Pittsburgh Steelers roster and kept coach Mike Tomlin hydrated as the NFL Draft approaches. “We’ve addressed a lot of needs, and you don’t feel overly thirsty in any particular area,” Tomlin said Monday at a pre-draft news...

Since taking Terrell Edmunds with the No. 28 overall pick in 2018 and trading for Minkah Fitzpatrick a year later, the Pittsburgh Steelers haven’t needed to use an early draft pick on the safety position. The only additions via the draft came late on the third day. In 2020, the...

When the Pittsburgh Steelers broke training camp last year, they had three veteran free agents sharing playing time at inside linebacker. All three were starters elsewhere and provided an ample level of comfort at a spot that was completely retooled that offseason. “We felt really good about the position,” general...

It’s fitting that Chop Robinson’s draft bio on the NFL website compares him to Dallas Cowboys star defender Micah Parsons. Although they played different positions at Penn State, they have enough similar traits that personnel execs believe Robinson can follow in Parsons’ footsteps and excel as an NFL pass rusher....

For a team that could use another infusion of youth on the defensive line, the Pittsburgh Steelers elected to stockpile veteran depth in the offseason. The Steelers re-signed nose tackle Montravius Adams to a two-year contract at the outset of free agency. They added ninth-year veteran Dean Lowry, who turns...

History might be the only reason to believe the Pittsburgh Steelers won’t select an offensive tackle in the first round of the NFL Draft. Until last season, when they drafted Broderick Jones, the Steelers hadn’t taken a tackle with their first-round pick since 1996, which lessens the odds of them...

Perhaps the worst-kept secret in the NFL is the Pittsburgh Steelers are targeting a center early in the draft, most likely using the No. 20 overall pick to address a position of need. Center, of course, is the one position on the roster where the Steelers don’t have a definitive...

Given their recent emphasis on the position in the NFL Draft, it’s no coincidence the Pittsburgh Steelers didn’t conduct a top-30 visit with any tight end prospects this offseason. The 2021 draft began a three-year run in which the Steelers used a pick on a tight end, including two on...

As the NFL Draft approaches, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ need for a starting wide receiver is rising faster than the city’s three rivers during the recent flooding. Since general manager Omar Khan shipped Diontae Johnson, the team’s longest-tenured pass catcher, to the Carolina Panthers a month ago, he has yet to...

Running back continues to be the most devalued position in the NFL. That holds true with the franchise tag, fifth-year option and — as likely will be played out late next week — the draft. Running back is the most affordable — and some would say replaceable — position in...

In a roundabout way, the Pittsburgh Steelers helped shape the top spot in the NFL Draft. When the Steelers acquired Chicago quarterback Justin Fields on March 16, it solidified that the Bears were sold on selecting a passer with the No. 1 overall pick, and it essentially confirmed that they...

As the pre-draft visit process enters the home stretch, the Pittsburgh Steelers continue to host college prospects at positions of need. The Steelers continued their emphasis on evaluating players at center and cornerback Friday. They brought in West Virginia center Zach Frazier and cornerback Beanie Bishop and Iowa corner Cooper...

Reinforcing their interest in players on the offensive and defensive lines, the Pittsburgh Steelers hosted one player from each side of the ball Thursday. Visiting UPMC Rooney Sports Complex for official top-30 visits were Oklahoma offensive tackle Tyler Guyton and Northern Iowa defensive tackle Khristian Boyd. Guyton is a projected...

ORLANDO, Fla. — Two weeks after trading Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers, the Pittsburgh Steelers still lack a bona fide No. 2 wide receiver. It hasn’t been for a lack of trying. General manager Omar Khan has added two veterans in free agency — Van Jefferson and Quez Watkins...

ORLANDO, Fla. — On a day when the NFL adopted a radical new kickoff rule aimed at boosting the number of returns, the Pittsburgh Steelers acquired one of the best returners in the business. The Steelers agreed to terms with Cordarrelle Patterson, formerly of the Atlanta Falcons, on a two-year...