Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Diontae Johnson seems less than thrilled about some recent trade rumors. At the NFL Scouting Combine, the Steelers spoke with a former Pitt Panther and a stud wide receiver.

A former WPIAL star had a banner night in the NBA, and the Robert Morris men’s hockey team advanced to the second round of the Atlantic Hockey playoffs.

All that in Monday’s “First Call.”

What do you say, Diontae?

Steelers wide receiver Diontae Johnson appears to be refuting reports that the team might consider trading him. It’s something we brought up on the “Madden Monday” podcast recently. Mark Madden and I both heard the same discussions from separate sources.

Now Tony Pauline of Sportskeeda is reporting something similar.

“While it’s not fair to say Johnson is on the trading block, several people tell me the Steelers are open to moving the receiver if they receive fair compensation,” Pauline wrote.

That’s under the same tent as what I heard a few weeks ago. But general manager Omar Khan tamped down that conversation last week when he let it slip that there may have been some contract conversation between the franchise and Johnson recently.

“As of right now, we’re having conv…” Khan said before stopping the thought. “I’m not gonna speak to specific negotiations for an individual player, but I have a lot of respect for Diontae. Usually, as you guys know, the extensions happen later on in the year.”

Perhaps emboldened by that (partial) quote from Khan, Johnson sent out some social media posts responding to the story.

I don’t think the Steelers should extend Johnson. But I don’t think they should trade him, either. They already have a hole at the receiver position as it is. They don’t have a true third guy. So don’t get rid of the No. 2 target to make matters worse. Try to find a better option as the second guy and keep Johnson as the third option, I say.

If the Steelers do move Johnson this offseason, all you are doing is taking away one established option from Kenny Pickett, Mason Rudolph or whoever the Steelers quarterback is.

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Hold that thought

If the Steelers were to trade Johnson, they better make a big splash in the draft at the wideout position.

Frankly, to the previous point, it may be wise to do so anyway.

Washington’s Rome Odunze would certainly qualify. He’s considered one of the top receivers eligible in the selection process this year. On Saturday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com said that the Steelers were one of the teams that met last week with Odunze at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.

But he also pointed out that if the Steelers were to try to draft him, they’d probably have to trade up to do it.

Odunze was a consensus All-American this year. He posted 1,428 yards with the Huskies to go along with 13 touchdowns. The 21-year-old senior is 6-foot-3 and weighs 215 pounds.

Panther prospect

The Steelers drafted University of Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett two years ago. Now, might they be interested in selecting another former Panther to block for him?

According to SteelersNow.com, the club had an informal meeting with Matthew Goncalves at the combine. He’s a 6-foot-6, 330-pound tackle who could also play guard.

Goncalves spent five seasons as a Panther, playing in various places along the offensive line. He was projected as a top tackle prospect in the draft prior to this season but suffered a toe injury that required him to be shelved just three games into his senior year.

ESPN.com rates Goncalves as the 20th tackle in the draft, 156th overall. That’s in the middle of the fifth round.

What a day for T.J.

Chartiers Valley product T.J. McConnell had a huge Sunday night for the Indiana Pacers. He put up 26 points on 13-of-15 shooting.

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McConnell’s career high is 29 points. The one-time Duquesne Duke also added five assists and three steals. He played 27 minutes, the most for him since a Jan. 18 win over the Sacramento Kings.

Unfortunately for McConnell, his Pacers lost in San Antonio 117-105. Indy is currently eighth in the Eastern Conference at 34-28.

Still alive

The Robert Morris men’s hockey team pulled off an upset in the first round of the Atlantic Hockey playoffs. The 11th-seeded Colonials surprised the sixth-seeded Bentley Falcons 4-3 in overtime Saturday night.

Freshman Cam Garvey took advantage of a goalie turnover to win it with just 10 seconds left to go before the end of overtime.

After winning the one-game, first-round playoff, Derek Schooley’s club now travels to Rochester for a best-of-three showdown against RIT this weekend. The Tigers won the AHA regular season crown with 54 points.

They won all four games against the Colonials by a combined score of 23-7.

Tim Benz is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Tim at tbenz@triblive.com or via X. All tweets could be reposted. All emails are subject to publication unless specified otherwise.