When Omar Khan received a contract extension last week that tied him to the Pittsburgh Steelers through the 2028 season, most fans were pleased. In his first three full offseasons, the general manager attempted to wipe away some of the mistakes Kevin Colbert made late in his GM tenure while placing a focus on the trenches.
But there's one important front office figure head who can never seem to grab the spotlight.
When the Steelers initially promoted Khan to general manager after Colbert left, he wasn't alone. Pittsburgh poached the Philadelphia Eagles' Vice President of Player Personnel, Andy Weidl, to be their assistant GM.
In Philly, Weidl worked side by side with renowned NFL GM Howie Roseman and was responsible for assembling the team's draft board. Weidl kept those responsibilities in Pittsburgh. This was reiterated by The Athletic's Mike DeFabo before the draft, noting Weidl's importance in the draft process.
Interestingly, when team president and owner Art Rooney II made the announcement that the Steelers had signed Khan to a contract extension, he made no mention of Weidl.
Pittsburgh Steelers fans need to start putting respect on Andy Weidl's name
When it comes to responsibilities in the front office, you can argue that nothing is more important than getting the draft board right. Since the Pittsburgh Steelers created a new title of assistant general manager in May 2022 and handed the keys to Andy Weidl, this team has targeted 'money five' positions in the NFL Draft.
The Steelers have also been drafting for value against the consensus board, as the vast majority of draft picks they've made over the past three seasons were considered 'above value'.
This year, for example, Kaleb Johnson ranked 52nd on Marcus Mosher's NFL Draft Expert Consensus Board, but the Steelers selected him with the 83rd pick. Likewise, Pittsburgh took Ohio State's Jack Sawyer with the 123rd overall pick despite being the 75th overall player on the consensus board.
#Steelers Draft Picks vs. Consensus Board Value:
(Using @Marcus_Mosher's NFL Draft Expert consensus boards from 2023-2025) pic.twitter.com/dArfAFVaCe
— Tommy Jaggi (@TommyJaggi) July 8, 2025
Over the three NFL Drafts in which Andy Weidl has been assembling the draft board (2023-2025), the Steelers have drafted almost exclusively for value against the NFL Draft expert consensus board. This board takes the average rankings of respected draft experts like Daniel Jeremiah, Mel Kiper Jr., PFF, and Dane Brugler, and averages their rankings into one consensus board.
While we still need to wait and see how these draft classes ultimately unfold, the Steelers have been considering value early and often in the NFL Draft. We can chalk much of this up to Weidl. With the Eagles, Weidl helped assemble one of the strongest rosters in the NFL.
There's nothing wrong with giving Omar Khan his dues. He's been impressive, steering the ship that is the Steelers' front office. But don't forget about Andy Weidl—the man behind the curtain, largely responsible for Pittsburgh's draft haul. Let's hope he can stick around as long as Khan.
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