Mike Tomlin is reportedly a fan of Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders. Plus, he may be a fit for Arthur Smith’s offense.

In Wednesday’s “First Call,” we investigate both of those angles to the Steelers’ ongoing quarterback search.

Plus, we get some good news about Kenny Pickett from Cleveland. College hockey gets a bump. And there is movement from the transfer portal for Duquesne.

Stamp of approval

If the Steelers are going to swing big on a quarterback in Round 1 of the NFL draft, Mike Tomlin is going to have to rubber-stamp that move.

According to “The Ringer’s” Todd McShay, the team’s head coach would sign off when it comes to drafting Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders.

“I tend to trust where I’m getting this information,” McShay said. “Mike Tomlin really likes Shedeur. If he’s there at (pick No.) 21, Shedeur could very well be a Pittsburgh Steeler.”

McShay added that even if Aaron Rodgers commits to the Steelers by then, he doesn’t think that’ll impact the franchise’s decision-making process.

“If Aaron Rodgers is there, I don’t think one would have to do with the other,” McShay added. “It’s two different elements to this. Aaron Rodgers is to win games now. Drafting Shedeur Sanders, if he’s there at 21, would be to finally get the solution at the most important position for the long term.”

The Giants had a private workout with Sanders this week. They hold the No. 3 overall pick.

Big on the Buff?

If the Steelers do want Sanders, he’ll fit in well with what Arthur Smith wants to do offensively. That’s according to Jordan Schultz on FS1.

“I had someone who I trust tell me that if you bring in Shedeur Sanders to Pittsburgh, he actually is exactly what Arthur Smith would like because he’s going to do exactly what you are supposed to do. He’s going to play in the pocket. He’s going to run your offense,” Schultz said on “The Herd ” with Colin Cowherd. “I think Shedeur is probably further along than people realize in the sense that he’s played a lot of football — Jackson State, Colorado. Won a lot of games, and (he) has not had great offensive line play.”

Well, he may not have that here either, and taking too many sacks has been an issue for Sanders, even when he does have protection.

In our upcoming “Breakfast With Benz” NFL Draft preview podcast series, Steelers Nation Radio scouting expert Matt Williamson praised Sanders’ accuracy, ball placement, rhythm and timing. In fact, he called Sanders the most accurate passer in the draft. He also said the former Buffalo is “good from the neck up.”

However, Williamson isn’t wild about Sanders’ athleticism and says his arm strength is capable but not great.

Promising outlook for Pickett

Former Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett is apparently winning people over with his new team.

Cleveland.com Browns reporter Mary Kay Cabot insists that the Browns have high hopes for the former Pitt Panther standout.

“I think they are really, really high on Kenny Pickett,” Cabot said on 92.3 The Fan.

“The way that everyone talked up Kenny Pickett at the NFL annual meeting, the way Kenny Pickett is talking about himself, I think the Browns are hoping to catch lightning in a bottle with him, in the same way, some other teams have with former first-round picks who show promise early on but needed a change of scenery.”

The Steelers traded Pickett to Philadelphia after two years on the roster in the spring of 2024. On March 12 of this year, the Eagles traded Pickett to Cleveland in exchange for a fifth-round pick in the 2025 NFL draft and quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson.

The Browns have also reacquired former QB Joe Flacco to compete with Pickett for the starting job.

Filling spots

The Duquesne men’s basketball team is looking to fill some holes after players from last year’s team entered the transfer portal. Kareem Rozier decided to go to Winthrop. Tre Dinkins is heading to George Washington. Matus Hronsky, Halil “Chabi” Barre, and Eli Wilborn are in the portal too.

All five players were significant contributors to last year’s team.

However, the Dukes did sign former Pitt big man John Hugley to come back to the city after stops at Oklahoma and Xavier. Now, word from PittsburghSportsNow.com is that Elijah Crawford was in Pittsburgh for a visit Thursday.

The 6-foot-2 guard from BYU is in the portal considering other options. As the Cougars went to the Sweet 16 this year, Crawford appeared in 21 games, averaging 5.2 minutes and 1.2 points per contest. The four-star Brewster Academy product just completed his freshman season.

He was rated as a top-10 point guard coming out of high school and also had offers from Georgia, Xavier, Ole Miss, LSU, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Central Florida and Boston College.

The Dukes also entertained Frederik Daverne Jellum this week. He’s a 6-foot-9 forward who graduates high school this year.

Had an amazing visit at @DuqMBB these past two days!!

Special thanks to Coach @DruOnDemand and @AriSternHoops and the rest of staff for the hospitality and for believing in me!! pic.twitter.com/qr9rvmW5cJ

— Frederik Daverne Jellum (@DaverneJellum) April 15, 2025

Daverne Jellum is from Denmark. He attends Cushing Academy in Massachusetts.

Unfrozen ratings

The NCAA hockey Frozen Four saw a jump in viewership, according to ESPN.

The three-game semi-final and finals package last week in St. Louis saw a 7% bump via a network press release. Engagement on ESPN+ went up 9%.

The championship game between Western Michigan and Boston University popped big time, though. It spiked an impressive 30% as the Mustangs won the school’s first athletics championship in any sport with a 6-2 win over the blue-blood Terriers.

JUBILATION‼️

WESTERN MICHIGAN WINS ITS FIRST MEN'S HOCKEY NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP 🏆 pic.twitter.com/HCDr1bHTNs

— ESPN (@espn) April 13, 2025

Penn State making the Frozen Four for the first time ever likely helped ratings. As did the fact that defending national champion Denver was the fourth team in the mix.

Both the championship game numbers and the Frozen Four numbers are high-water marks for the event since 2018. That year Michigan, Ohio State, Notre Dame and Minnesota-Duluth were the participants in Minnesota.