First Call: Steelers show interest in Pitt safety; Maxx Crosby endorses idea of Raiders signing Najee Harris

Thursday’s “First Call” connects the Steelers to a Pitt defensive back in advance of the NFL draft. A Pro Bowl defensive star is stumping for his team to sign Najee Harris.

There is yet another twist in the Diontae Johnson saga. Zay Flowers’ injury status is still murky for the Baltimore Ravens.

And, the Robert Morris hockey team has a makeup date for that game their opponent had to cancel on Tuesday.

Staying local?

The Steelers are one of many teams showing an interest in Pitt safety Donovan McMillon. According to Ryan Fowler of The Draft Network, McMillon talked with 12 teams at the Hula Bowl.

The Steelers were on that list.

A second-team All-ACC selection & a member of the preseason Jim Thorpe award watchlist this fall (top DB), Pitt SAF Donovan McMillon met with a long list of teams at Hula, including the following:

• 49ers
• Commanders
• Steelers
• Eagles
• Vikings
• Lions
• Colts
• Bucs…

— Ryan Fowler (@_RyanFowler_) January 15, 2025

McMillon played two years with the Florida Gators before enrolling at Pitt for his final two college football seasons.

At 6-foot-1, 208 pounds, the Peters Township product posted 115 tackles (one TFL), nine passes defended, an interception and a forced fumble in 2024. He was second-team All-ACC this year.

Maxx makes a pitch

Las Vegas Raiders star Maxx Crosby has the same agent as Steelers running back Najee Harris. During a recent episode of his “The Rush With Maxx Crosby” video stream, the Pro Bowl pass rusher said he and Harris are friends and that he would love to see Harris join him in Las Vegas.

“Najee is a baller,” Crosby said (at the 26:42 mark). “Anybody that could help when it comes to winning — and being a culture guy, a leader — that’s the type of guy I want around. You’ve seen Najee, he’s played four years in the league and has had 1,000 yards every single season. That alone is extremely impressive. He is a tough (expletive) and hard to tackle, too. He’s my guy. Obviously, I’m a little biased. But I’d love to have a guy like Najee around. Selfishly, he could come to Vegas all day.”

Harris put up 106 yards and a touchdown against Crosby’s Raiders earlier this year. The former first-round pick is a free agent since the Steelers did not offer him a fifth-year option on his entry-level contract.

Spotrac suggests that Harris’ calculated market value is $9.2 million per year.

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Diontae’s day

It looks like the Baltimore Ravens are pulling a trick with Diontae Johnson.

After releasing the former Steeler earlier this year, Baltimore claimed Johnson on Wednesday after he was placed on waivers by the Houston Texans on Tuesday.

However, Johnson is ineligible to play for the rest of the postseason and won’t officially be listed on the Ravens’ roster until after the Super Bowl. The 28-year-old becomes a free agent this offseason, so this is ostensibly just a paper move.

It appears the Ravens are playing a game with the compensatory pick rules. Whenever Johnson signs with another team this spring, he counts as a lost player for Baltimore toward the comp pick formula.

That’s a system the NFL has in place to award draft picks to teams that lose more players than they sign. Johnson’s next contract with a to-be-determined franchise might result in Baltimore getting a late-round compensatory pick in 2026.

Since being traded by the Steelers last March, Johnson has been with Carolina, Baltimore, Houston and now (technically) Baltimore again.

Zay’s day

Since we are on the topic of Baltimore receivers, Zay Flowers’ health still appears to be very much a question mark.

The Pro Bowl pass catcher missed last week’s game against the Steelers with a knee injury, and his status is still in doubt for Sunday night’s game against the Buffalo Bills.

Via The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec, Flowers was the only Raven who was unable to practice Wednesday.

WR Zay Flowers (knee) was only Raven not practicing.

— Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiec) January 15, 2025

Baltimore will probably need WR production more this week against the Bills than they did last week against the Steelers. Buffalo averages 30.9 points per game, the most in the AFC and the second most in the NFL behind Detroit at 33.2. Baltimore is third at 30.5.

Pittsburgh only posted two second-half touchdowns in a 28-14 defeat. The Ravens got out to a 21-0 lead. They were able to lean into their potent run game, racking up 299 yards.

Rashod Bateman was Baltimore’s most productive wideout, with 24 yards on two catches and a touchdown.

Griffs is good to go

The Robert Morris men’s hockey team has announced a new date for its game against Canisius, which was canceled on Tuesday night. The Golden Griffins’ bus got caught behind an accident on the way down from Buffalo. Then, they were stuck in a snowstorm near Erie and had to turn around and go back to campus.

That game has been rescheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday at Clearview Arena. The Colonials have two games between now and then, as they host RIT on Friday and Saturday of this week.

After Canisius comes to town Tuesday, they’ll also host Army for a two-game series on Neville Island next weekend on Jan. 24 and 25.

The women’s team also hosts RIT on Friday and Saturday of this week. Their faceoffs are at 3 p.m. The men play the Tigers both nights at 7 p.m.