Poll: Which young Steelers player are fans most excited to see?

Looking ahead to the upcoming NFL seasons got me thinking about something: which young Steelers players are fans most excited to see this preseason?

With a draft full of exciting acquisitions and last years rookies potentially on the verge of breaking out, I took a poll of four young players I thought fans would be interested to see.

For this list, I used Ola Adeniyi, Justin Layne, James Washington, and Sutton Smith. The voting results were shockingly close:

With 461 total votes, James Washington and Justin Layne ended up tying for the win in this poll – gathering 29 percent of the total votes. Just behind (in a very close 3rd place) was Ola Adeniyi with 27 percent. Sutton Smith gathered some interest with 15 percent of the votes, but didn’t intrigue quite as much as the other three. Let’s take a look at these four, young Steelers;

Ola Adeniyi, EDGE

It’s hard to argue one player over the other here (in fact, it’s just a personal preference). Former 2018 undrafted rookie, Ola Adeniyi, was surprisingly good last preseason. The Toledo product garnered 3.0 sacks and 2 forced fumbles in limited preseason action a season ago. It will be interesting to watch his progression in year two as he tries to carve out a role on defense.

Justin Layne, CB

I wasn’t surprised Justin Layne compiled a lot of interest. The nearly 6’2” cornerback with vines for arms was considered a fringe 1st round prospect by many draft analysts this year. Though he certainly still raw as a former wide receiver, Layne has a chance to be one of the best corners the Steelers have drafted in a decade (which really speaks more about how poorly the Steelers have drafted the position).

James Washington, WR

James Washington struggled to get off to a good start in the regular season, despite a promising (and almost dominant) preseason performance. Washington does show flashes and possesses an incredibly strong set of hands. Year two will be a test for him now as he now has Diontae Johnson and Donte Moncrief nipping at his heals for playing time. We will find out how the receivers will sort themselves out in training camp.

Sutton Smith, EDGE/LB

I’ll admit that I was high on Sutton Smith long before the draft, so I may be a bit biased here. The bite-sized pass rusher lead all of Division 1 football over the past two seasons in pressures by a long shot. Smith is quite undersized and it will be interesting to see how the Steelers plan to use him in 2019. As a 6th round pick, he’s not a lock to make the roster, but I have a feeling he will impress in one way or another.

My vote: Ola Adeniyi

Although all four names on this poll are great candidates for this list, Ola Adeniyi draws my attention the most. Edge rusher is an extremely important position, and good pass rushers are hard to find. Ola is still just 21 years old, and though he’s not the biggest of fastest, he’s shown so far that he knows how to get after the quarterback. The Steelers have had some great undrafted free agents since the early 2000’s. We only hope Ola could be a gem that fits in with that list.