Tuesday’s “First Call” tells us where the sons of Mike Tomlin and Eddie Faulkner will try to latch on in the NFL.

The Sedeur Sanders drama boosted NFL ratings significantly. A Duquesne special teams standout is trying to make an NFL roster. The Pittsburgh Pirates have a tall task ahead of themselves this week when the Chicago Cubs visit.

And the Robert Morris hockey community is dealing with the loss of one of the program’s most important off-ice contributors.

Family connections

The sons of two Steelers coaches will be attending rookie minicamps.

Mike Tomlin’s son, Dino, is going to get a look while he is at Tampa Bay’s camp, according to WTAE.

Between Maryland and Boston College, Tomlin posted 40 receptions for 552 yards. His best season was in 2023 at B.C., when he had 24 receptions for 312 yards.

Meanwhile, running backs coach Eddie Faulkner’s son Eddie Faulkner IV will be at the Steelers rookie minicamp May 9-11. That was announced by Slippery Rock, Faulkner IV’s alma mater.

Faulkner IV isn’t a running back; he’s a safety. At SRU, the Shady Side Academy product was a two-time All-PSAC honoree.

Over four seasons, Faulkner appeared in 52 career games with 36 starts. He racked up 160 total tackles, 15 for loss, 7 sacks, five interceptions and 17 passes defended. He also forced seven career fumbles, recovered four fumbles, blocked one kick and scored one defensive touchdown.

Buffalo bound

Another Pittsburgh product heading to a rookie minicamp is Kyle Romenick. He’s a former punter at Duquesne.

Romenick is getting a chance to show his talents in Buffalo for the Bills’ rookie minicamp, which starts May 9.

Romenick was named Second Team All-NEC following the 2024 season. The Elon transfer set Duquesne’s single-season record and led the Northeast Conference with a 43.1-yard punting average in 2024. That ranked 19th nationally in the FCS.

Romenick also tied Duquesne’s program record with a 73-yard punt against Robert Morris. Over 42 punts last season, he placed nine inside the 20-yard line and recorded six of 50 yards or longer.

More sports

• NHL analysts react to Mike Sullivan's departure from Penguins, his future, potential replacements
• Tim Benz: Steelers' draft homework before free agency in March paid off in April
• Mark Madden: Shedeur and Deion Sanders reaped what they sowed

Shedeur sells

The Shedeur Sanders drama translated into huge ratings for the NFL draft. That’s according to Jon Lewis of SportsMediaWatch.com.

Citing Nielsen fast-nationals released Saturday by the NFL, the first day of the draft put up good numbers, spiking by 11% from last year.

However, Lewis writes that Friday’s second and third rounds averaged a combined 7.3 million viewers. That includes television and streaming. It’s a 40% jump from last year and behind only 2020’s event (8.2 million) as the most-watched second day of the draft on record. The epic wait to see when — or if — Sanders would be taken is largely being credited for the increase.

The former Colorado quarterback wasn’t selected until Day 3, when he was the sixth pick of the fifth round.

Big bats

After facing the potent Dodgers’ lineup for three games in Los Angeles, the Pirates are now going to face the No. 1 offense in all of baseball.

The National League Central-leading Chicago Cubs open up a three-game series against the last-place Pirates on Tuesday night. The Cubs have scored 172 runs — 14 more runs than anyone else in Major League Baseball. Plus, they have 265 hits to lead MLB.

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Chicago also leads the National League with a team OPS of .783. The team’s batting average of .260 is third in MLB. They’ve drawn 118 walks, fifth most in the Majors. Their 38 homers are tied for sixth.

Kyle Tucker has been the best hitter for the Cubs so far. His .976 OPS is sixth in the National League. Teammate Michael Busch is right behind him at .930 in seventh place. Tucker’s 25 RBIs are tied for fourth.

The Cubs will allow runs, though. In fact, with 123 earned runs plated against the Cubs, their pitchers have the eighth-highest total in the league.

The Pirates will open Tuesday’s game with Andrew Heaney (2-1, 1.72 ERA) against Shota Imanaga (2-1, 3.18). That matchup will be followed by Pittsburgh’s Carmen Mlodzinski (1-3, 6.95) battling Matthew Boyd (2-2, 2.54). The finale of the series on Thursday has Paul Skenes (3-2, 2.39) on the mound for the Pirates. He’llbe opposed by Colin Rea (1-0, 0.96).

Taking a moment to remember

The Robert Morris hockey community is remembering someone instrumental in getting the team back on the ice in 2023-24.

Jim Vitale died last week at the age of 66. The Moon Township resident was a driving fund raiser and event organizer who keyed efforts to get the program reinstated after its shutdown at the end of the 2021 season.

The RMU alum was also a founding member of the Pittsburgh College Hockey Foundation, the organizational body that eventually got the men’s and women’s programs back on the ice.

Over the weekend, the coaches of both programs — Derek Schooley and Logan Bittle — expressed their thoughts about what Vitale meant to the sport on campus.

Services for Vitale are on Wednesday in Moon.