When the Steelers drafted Carson Bruener, son of longtime Pittsburgh player and scout Mark Bruener, fans immediately decried nepotism. Outwardly, it could certainly appear that way, though the organization has an affinity for NFL bloodlines generally. Note that they didn’t sign Mike Tomlin’s son, Dino, since Mike never made it to the NFL.
Still, when you draft the son of a former player, it comes with baggage, even in the locker room. Mark Bruener has been in plenty of locker rooms, and he knows that. Speaking to Brian Batko, he talked about such issues Carson might face as he transitions to this next chapter.
“You never take anything personal. Some people had positive thoughts, and some people had negative thoughts, but I never took anything personal, and I never shared it with my son, either”, Bruener said, noting that Tomlin asked him if he wanted to excuse himself when they discussed Carson as a prospect, but he opted not to. He also said he believes Tomlin would have allowed him to call Carson had he remained with the Steelers, but they also allowed Bruener to travel home for the final two days of the draft.
“One thing we’ve never done is cross that line between what I do for a living and him being my kid”, Bruener insisted. “Because I never want him to be looked upon by anyone in that locker room as the reason he’s here is because he’s my kid”.
A 1995 first-round pick, Mark Bruener had a 14-year NFL career, the first nine with the Steelers. As a tight end, he did not put up prolific numbers, but he contributed so much more as a blocker. Think more Darnell Washington than Pat Freiermuth.
After his playing career, Bruener transitioned into scouting, where he’s worked for the Steelers since 2010. He is a major player in their scouting process, but suddenly found himself viewing his own son as a prospect.
The Steelers drafted Carson Bruener in the seventh round. He lacks his father’s size, and plays inside linebacker, but will try to make the 53-man roster via special teams. Pittsburgh has a bit of congestion in that room, it’s worth noting.
When it comes to the numbers game, I’m sure there may be some in the Steelers’ locker room wondering if Carson Bruener will have an unfair advantage on those grounds. Will he, for example, win a tiebreaker over Mark Robinson because he is Mark Bruener’s son? Whether true or not, some might believe it to be the case.
Of course, if the Steelers cut Bruener, that would be a different story. But he is truly his own player and wouldn’t be viewed as “Mark Bruener’s son” on any other team. Carson Bruener was a prolific college player, posting over 100 tackles and three interceptions last season. He can play football, but now he has to do it at the NFL level.
