Everybody loves a winner. Those who reach football’s highest peak know exactly what it takes to get there, making it no coincidence that Omar Khan’s draft classes have contained plenty of national champions. Call it a feature, not a bug, and something Khan confirmed during a recent interview on Sirius Radio’s Movin’ the Chains.
“The best thing about Riley is he’s a great person and a great football player, but he’s also a national champion,” Khan told hosts Pat Kirwin and Jacob Hester. “That’s what we’re chasing.”
Nowakowski was a member of Indiana’s historic undefeated run, going from walk-on college linebacker at Wisconsin to a key cog in the Hoosiers’ national title.
Khan then rattled off the list of champs drafted during his general manager tenure. In 2025, it was Ohio State QB Will Howard and EDGE Jack Sawyer. Both played key roles in the Buckeyes’ title run. Howard found his rhythm after a bumpy regular season and was at his best down the stretch.
In four playoff games, he threw eight touchdowns to two interceptions in convincing victories over Tennessee, Oregon, Texas and the title game against Notre Dame. In the championship, he completed 17 of 21 passes for 231 yards, two touchdowns, zero interceptions and cemented the win with a pinpoint throw to star WR Jeremiah Smith.
Sawyer came up clutch, too. Against Texas, he strip-sacked QB Quinn Ewers and picked up the ball 83 yards the other way to prevent a Longhorns’ comeback. It was one of nine sacks and three forced fumbles he recorded on the season.
In 2024, the Steelers drafted Michigan WR Roman Wilson. On a team that won chiefly because of its defense, Wilson still made plays on his side of the ball. He caught a touchdown in an overtime Rose Bowl win against Alabama and tied for first on the team in receptions and second in receiving yards in the title game blowout against Washington.
In 2023, Pittsburgh selected a pair of national champion Georgia Bulldogs in OT Broderick Jones and TE Darnell Washington.
“There’s a lot to that,” Omar Khan said. “Guys that have lived it and experienced it. Because I think when you taste that championship, I have been to three Super Bowls, won two of them, that desire to win another one never goes away.”
The value of the approach has, like most things draft-related, brought mixed results. Washington has become a solid player in line for a contract extension. Sawyer played well as a rookie. Jones and Wilson, however, have struggled to translate their college success. No matter the worthiness, Khan’s made it clear he wants a winner. It explains why Pittsburgh has been so patient waiting for Aaron Rodgers, a Super Bowl champ and one of the greatest players in history.