First Call: Steelers to meet with Heisman finalist Ashton Jeanty; former WR trade target may be off limits

In Wednesday’s “First Call,” the Pittsburgh Steelers will meet with a Heisman Trophy finalist at the NFL Scouting Combine. A former trade target of the team may be off the market. Both the Duquesne men’s and women’s basketball teams are in action Wednesday.

And Alex Ovechkin has done it again.

Boise back

As the NFL Scouting Combine kicks draft season into full gear, the Steelers are one of 10 teams that will have a formal meeting with Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty. That’s according to The Draft Network’s Ryan Fowler.

The following teams have formal meetings scheduled with Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty, per source:

• Giants
• Broncos
• Vikings
• Steelers
• Colts
• Bears
• Chargers
• Ravens
• Saints

— Ryan Fowler (@_RyanFowler_) February 25, 2025

Fowler later added the Washington Commanders to that list as the 10th team.

Jeanty finished second in the Heisman Trophy balloting behind Colorado’s Travis Hunter. He led the Broncos to the College Football Playoff this past season with 2,601 rushing yards and 30 total touchdowns.

The Jacksonville native won the Maxwell Award and Doak Walker Award and was a unanimous All-American by the Associated Press.

At 5-foot-9 and 215 pounds, Jeanty is considered the top RB in the draft. He is projected to be picked long before the Steelers get on the clock at No. 21 in the first round. However, if the Steelers don’t retain Najee Harris and Jeanty slips due to a lack of demand for first-round running backs, the franchise may be tempted to take him.

According to NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero, Jeanty isn’t going to take part in testing during the Combine. He’s only going to have medical evaluations and meet with teams. He will do on-field drills during Boise State’s Pro Day instead.

Time to try again

The Steelers were reportedly on the cusp of acquiring Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Christian Kirk before the NFL trade deadline last year. But he suffered a season-ending collarbone injury before a deal could be consummated.

At the NFL scouting combine on Tuesday, new Jags general manager James Gladstone was asked if Kirk might be back on the table again now that he has had time to get healthy.

“No, I wouldn’t say that,” Gladstone said via SteelersNow.com. “We’re just starting the conversations about our current roster across (our) pro scouting and coaching staff, as well as working in pro-free agent-related dialogue. So at this point in time, I can say that we’re happy to have Christian.”

Kirk ended up with 27 catches in eight games for 379 yards (14.0 per reception) and one touchdown.

The Steelers got Mike Williams from the New York Jets instead. He only caught nine balls in nine games for 127 yards and a touchdown. When Steelers general manager Omar Khan spoke on Tuesday, he said it is “obviously a priority” for his club to add to the receiver room this offseason.

Down to a dozen

Washington Capitals winger Alex Ovechkin is now just 12 goals away from passing Wayne Gretzky for the NHL’s all-time goal-scoring record.

He potted goal No. 883 on Tuesday night, beating Calgary Flames goalie Dan Vladar with a bullet from the left circle.

OVI'S 883rd... HE'S 12 BACK FOLKS ???? pic.twitter.com/T5sQ3bnNpi

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) February 26, 2025

That brought the Caps to within 2-1, but Calgary ended up winning 3-1. That’s Washington’s first regulation loss since Jan. 25.

The goal was Ovechkin’s 30th of the season. It’s the 19th time in his 20 NHL seasons that he has reached that plateau. Ovechkin now has 24 games to gather 12 goals in an effort to pass Gretzky’s mark of 894.

Recreating history?

Last year on Feb. 27, the Duquesne men’s basketball team was 6-8 in the Atlantic 10 and about to play La Salle. The Dukes won that game and their next three to close out the regular season.

From there, the Dukes won four straight outings in Brooklyn to secure an Atlantic 10 Tournament championship and the team’s first berth in the NCAA Tournament since 1977.

Now, the up-and-down Dukes of 2025 hope to regenerate a similar late-season run by beating the Explorers once more, as they are again at 6-8 in conference play with three more games to go after this one.

Tip-off in Philadelphia is at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday. The Explorers are 12-15 and 4-10 in conference play. They’ve lost five in a row. Dru Joyce III and company have split their past four games.

After this contest, the Dukes wrap up the season by hosting George Mason on Saturday and VCU on Tuesday. Then, they travel to Saint Louis on March 8. Those are three of the top four teams in the A-10.

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Basketball Brunch

Meanwhile, Duquesne has an early tip time for their women’s basketball game at home Wednesday. It’s the team’s “Education Day” contest when they open the doors at 11 a.m. for school kids to watch the game at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse.

Duquesne will face St. Bonaventure. The Dukes are 17-10 with an 8-8 mark in Atlantic-10 play. The Bonnies are struggling at 6-21 with a 2-14 record in conference. Coach Dan Burt’s team won the first game 80-46.

The Robert Morris women’s team is also at home Wednesday. They welcome Youngstown State at 7 p.m. The Colonials are 12-15 with an 8-10 record in the Horizon League (fourth place). The Penguins are 6-12 in the Horizon (ninth place) and 11-17 overall.

RMU won the first game between the teams in Ohio, 67-61, on Jan. 18.