Ben Roethlisberger rips Colorado Buffaloes football’s Shedeur Sanders in defense of Steelers rookie Will Howard

Ben Roethlisberger didn’t call out Colorado Buffaloes football legend Shedeur Sanders by name, but he did defend Will Howard at the expense of other quarterbacks drafted who want to throw parties after being selected.

Not hard to decipher who the Pittsburgh Steelers legend was talking about there, given the context clues and the team’s reported interest in Sanders before the draft.

“He gets drafted sixth round and tears pouring down his face... his dream of playing in the NFL. At least he has a chance. Doesn't mean he's going to make it; sixth round, but he's excited about it. You watch other guys, and they get drafted and are like, 'let's throw a party. Let's have cameras,” Roethlisberger said of Howard on the “Sports Spectrum” podcast.

“I'm not trying to bash any one person. But you just see the difference sometimes in the love of the game.”

The Steelers reportedly didn’t have Sanders graded as a prospect worthy of being taken in the draft’s first five rounds.

They may not have been too keen on inviting “Prime Time” to Pittsburgh, either.

“I think mostly, it had to do with, they didn't have a grade on him within the first five rounds,” insider Ray Fittipaldo said Thursday on 93.7 The Fan. “I think the second part of that equation, and this was never really discussed, you’ve seen some leaks with other teams across the NFL.

“Now, a lot of people just didn’t want to deal with Deion Sanders and what that might be down the road after he’s done at Colorado. So, I don’t know if the Steelers felt that same way, but they did not have a top-five grade. A top-five round grade on Shedeur Sanders, and that’s why they went the route they went.”

It’s unclear what exactly prevented Sanders from becoming a Steeler, but Roethlisberger’s aversion to his party-filled lifestyle may offer a window into one potential internal explanation.