May 10, 2024 4 min read

The Steelers are holding their rookie minicamp this weekend at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex on the South Side. Just downriver, where the Monongahela joins with the Allegheny to form the Ohio River, the Pirates debut their most prominent rookie when Paul Skenes takes the mound Saturday against the Chicago Cubs.

Has there been a more eventful weekend for rookie players in the history of Pittsburgh? Maybe. But none come to mind right now.

By all accounts, the Steelers aced the NFL Draft earlier this month, gathering top grades all around for a haul that brought in offensive tackle Troy Fautanu, center Zach Frazier, wide receiver Roman Wilson, linebacker Payton Wilson, guard Mason McCormick, defensive end Logan Lee and defensive back Ryan Watts.

Nothing gets Steelers fans quite as excited as the team drafting offensive linemen.

Skenes, meanwhile, is probably the most highly anticipated rookie to make his debut for the Pirates since Gerrit Cole made his debut in 2013.

In many ways, fans are excited about the same things.

The firm foundation for many successful football teams is its offensive line. The offensive line is the only position on a football field that doesn’t rely on others to have success.

Pitchers aren’t quite the same in baseball, but they’re close. Strikeout pitchers such as Skenes, who has a 102 mph fastball and other plus pitches, when they really need to get an out, they can take care of business themselves.

And a solid starting rotation is often the foundation of a good baseball team.

But right now, it’s all about the “ifs.”

If Fautanu and Frazier can break into the Steelers’ starting lineup, they could have a very good offensive line by around the midpoint of the season.

If Skenes can at least match what fellow rookie Jared Jones has done over his first two months of the season, the Pirates could have a formidable rotation.

They’re “ifs” right now. But given the respective pedigrees of the players, none are a stretch to consider highly possible.

• When Dick’s Sporting Goods decided to no longer be the sponsor of the Pony World Series, it left a vacuum again in what has become a major event in Washington County.

A new sponsor for the series, which brought more than $4 million to Washington County last year, is a necessity.

But a local and trusted company has stepped forward to serve as the sponsor of the Pony World Series. Expect an announcement soon.

• The NFL schedule will be released later this week, making it the next big event for the league.

While we’ve known the who and where portion of the Steelers’ schedule since the end of last season, the when might be even more important.

That’s especially true when you consider the Steelers’ home schedule – the three AFC North opponents, plus the Cowboys, Chiefs, Chargers, Giants and Jets – seems quite a bit more difficult than their road slate. The Steelers will play at their three AFC North counterparts along with the Falcons, Broncos, Colts, Raiders, Eagles and Commanders.

The majority of the Steelers’ games against high-quality opponents come at Acrisure Stadium.

• The Steelers are 16-8 in AFC North games over the past four seasons. And over the past eight seasons, they are 34-13-1 within the division.

That’s significant in what is the best division in the NFL.

How much better is the AFC North than the other divisions? Realize that AFC North teams have a 106-63 record against non-division opponents over the past four seasons. That’s a .626 percent winning percentage.

The second-best record for a division over that same span is the NFC West’s 94-78 record, a winning percentage of .547.

• Over the past eight seasons, the Steelers are 12-4 against the Bengals, 11-4-1 against the Browns and 11-5 against the Ravens.

• With the WPIAL baseball and softball playoffs set to begin, expect it to rain a lot this week. Just be warned.

• Nearly every move the Steelers have made this offseason has screamed their intentions on offense, be it the hiring of Arthur Smith as offensive coordinator or the selection of three offensive linemen in the first four rounds of the draft.

With that being the case, why in the world would they try to trade running back Najee Harris?

The simple answer is that they aren’t actively trying to trade him. Don’t believe the clickbait.

In Harris and Jaylen Warren, the Steelers have two very capable running backs, one of the best one-two punches in the NFL. Why would they want to move away from that when their intention is to run the ball?

Dale Lolley hosts The Drive on Steelers Nation Radio and writes a Sunday column for the Observer-Reporter.