The Pittsburgh Steelers have completed their trip to Indianapolis for the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine, and now the draft scouts are trying to put all of this information together while General Manager Omar Khan shifts his focus to the free agency frenzy that's just around the corner. This will most likely be a very pivotal offseason for Pittsburgh for the long-term future due to having a new structure, new coach, and maybe a new quarterback. There will definitely be plenty of turnover on the roster, like there was in the coaching staff.
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Steelers' new head coach, Mike McCarthy and General Manager Omar Khan during the 2026 offseason.
While hosting his show, Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger, former quarterback Ben Roethlisberger pushed back on the idea of the Combine. He gave an example using one of his favorite targets as to why he believes the Steelers and other teams should not put any stock into what happens there.
"Merril [Hoge] preaches -- and guys that really get into this -- preach, 'I want to watch tape,'" Roethlisberger said. "I'm not going to sit out there and watch a guy go run a 4.37 [40-yard dash] and be like, 'I got to take him,' because he may not play that fast on the field. You watch guys like Antonio Brown. Antonio Brown was not a blazer in terms of a 40 time. I'm sure it was fast, but it wasn't like, 'Hey, we're setting records with speed.' But you know what he did? He played crazy fast. He played like a 4.2 guy."
Roethlisberger's co-host confirmed that Antonio Brown's 40-yard dash was clocked in at a 4.47, which is nothing amazing for a wide receiver. However, his play on the field was absolutely electric. He was arguably the best wide receiver in the NFL for many years before his on and off-the-field issues finally led to him being traded away. From watching his play, you'd never guess that he was close to having a 4.5 40-yard dash.
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Former Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown points to the sideline during a regular season game at then-Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, PA.
Brown was an elite route runner with strong hands and a never-ending work ethic. He could have lined up against a cornerback that ran a 4.3 40-yard dash, and the star receiver would just leave him in the dust repeatedly. He had the ability to make agile moves to keep defenders away from him in the open space as well. On the field, he was the perfect wide receiver, and that's why no one remembers that he ran a 4.47 at the Combine.
Meanwhile, a majority of the fastest players in NFL Combine history have not produced at all at the NFL level. In fact, the Steelers remember how abysmal Dri Archer was for them. His 4.26 speed was out of the league in just two years with 47 offensive yards to his name. Outside of Chris Johnson primarily of the Tennessee Titans, there are arguably no other extremely notable names that competed for the all-time record for the 40-yard dash.
Steelers May Need To Avoid Another Major Combine "Concern"
The biggest issue that many teams have is that they find reasons to not draft someone, which seems to be the case for Makai Lemon currently. He reportedly bombed the interview process and went viral for his unusual mannerisms during his press conference. All reports say that he is a football junkie and an excellent teammate, but all of a sudden, he has "major character issues" that may make teams not select him.
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USC WR Makai Lemon goes viral during the 2026 Scouting Combine.
A weird press conference in Indianapolis and some rough private interviews should not deter the Steelers from selecting him. If anything, these supposed issues may give Pittsburgh the chance to draft him without having to give up a ton of assets in a trade to do so.
What do you think about Roethlisberger challenging the legitimacy of the NFL Combine? Let us know on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.
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