While the actual draft takes on the bulk of the roster-building, the eight undrafted free agents the team added have plenty to get excited about as well.
Shortly after the NFL’s seven rounds of the draft concluded, the league scrambled to sign the highly coveted undrafted free agents. While far from a guarantee, these players slipped out of the draft for a variety of reasons. The Steelers scooped up eight of these prospects not including the ones they are bringing in for their rookie minicamp. While most of these players won’t amount to much, James Pierre reminded the team just how important these players can be. Here is an initial ranking of each of the Steelers’ undrafted rookies.
8. Rico Bussey Jr.
Let me state this before any judgment of a player: undrafted free agents come with almost no risk attached, and everyone should hope they find a way to defy the odds and make it at the NFL level. That being said, Rico Bussey Jr. seems like the longest shot of this class. The former Hawaii and Northern Texas receiver had one great year in 2018 before mostly disappearing afterward.
He didn’t test extremely well either. Add in his disappointing final season at Hawaii and his outside only skill set as a receiver and the odds seem long, he gets much of a chance. Considering the Steelers receiver room is as deep as it is, there is a real chance Bussey gets cut if a rookie from camp ends up showing out. He seems limited in what he can do (outside receiver only) and his lack of versatility will likely keep him off the roster.
7. Jamar Watson
Jamar Watson was a player I really wanted to come away sleeping on, as the Steelers have a void at edge rusher and only addressed it with a sixth-round pick. As of now, Quincy Roche is the favorite to be the backup with Cassius Marsh being the only other capable edge presence. If Watson can show anything as a pass rusher or special teams’ player, he has a great shot at making the opening day roster.
As an athlete, Watson doesn’t bring anything incredible to the table. He is slightly undersized as an edge rusher and his numbers didn’t indicate great explosiveness. Watching his tape shows a similar tale, as he has just enough athleticism to get into the backfield in college, but he will need to refine his technique and get a lot stronger for that to translate to the NFL.
While Watson could find his way onto the roster, that would likely be due to the lack of overall numbers at the position as opposed to him simply balling out. Being an average athlete isn’t the end of the world, just ask sixth-round pick Roche, but you need to be able to make up for that with elite technique and pass rush moves. Watson doesn’t have that, and if he can’t develop any his time with the Steelers will be rather short.
6. Lamont Wade
The Steelers likely got a good look at Lamont Wade when they sent the house to Penn St. for their pro day. While Pat Freiermuth impressed the team enough to get selected, Wade did enough to get signed despite not putting up any notable stats. If anything, Wade was a disappointment during his time in college, as he was a highly recruited prospect that never carved out a role at Penn St.
The first thing that sticks out on tape is his shorter stature. His 5’9 frame is nicely filled out, but he was sorely out of place when the Nittany Lions tried to keep him at cornerback. He wasn’t any better when the team tried to have him play purely a safety position either. He has the natural build for the slot, which is a positive for the Steelers as they have a need there, but it doesn’t limit his long-term versatility.
What really got the attention of the team most likely was his explosiveness when he tested. He showed off some good speed and decent explosiveness when testing that could lend itself well on special teams. In all honesty, special teams may be his best fit as it limits what he has to do as a defender and instead has him focusing on getting from point a to b as quickly as he can to make a tackle. That said, he will likely have to develop on the practice squad first off, and there is a little guarantee he makes it there considering the number of free-agent defensive backs that were brought in.
5. Isaiah McKoy
Out of the two receivers that the Steelers signed as undrafted free agents, Isaiah McKoy seems to have the better chance of sticking to the roster, albeit that margin isn’t huge. McKoy hails from Kent State, and while his numbers were never gaudy (Kent St. didn’t have a notable air attack) he was an impressive deep threat. He averaged over 18 yards per reception last year after putting up over 15 yards per reception the year before.
While those numbers indicate elite speed, the reality is quite different. McKoy is average at best as an athlete, but his long strides make him a good physical deep threat. There are some similarities with his game to James Washington, as both win deep on more physical plays as opposed to blazing speed. That said, McKoy has a pretty bad drop issue that he will need to fix if he wants any chance of making the roster.
In all honesty, I don’t think McKoy cracks the roster this year, but if it does, it won’t be due to his receiving ability. He played a decent number of special teams snaps at Kent St. and given those long strides he could be a great gunner. His traits as a receiver aren’t there, and I doubt he makes a huge impact as a purely offensive weapon. Instead, he could become a primary gunner and serve as a special teams’ ace. He has a legit shot to shine there, which earns him a higher potential rating than the other undrafted receiver in Bussey.
4. Calvin Bundage
A common thread you will see with the second-best ranked prospect, injury is a huge concern with Calvin Bundage. The former Oklahoma St. prospect looked like a rising star until a back injury nearly ended his career. A risky surgery kept him out of 2019, but he came back as a hybrid linebacker/pass rusher in 2020, where he put up 7.5 sacks. An easy player to root for, Bundage certainly has an intriguing skill set that makes him a projection at the NFL level.
While his pass-rushing skills are obvious, he doesn’t have the size to play their full time. He only weighed in at 221 pounds on his pro day. Steelers edge rushers typically are 240 pounds plus, meaning Bundage will likely make the move inside. The issue is, his lack of elite athletic traits as a still undersized inside linebacking option really limits the role he will have at the next level.
That said, there was a lot of good on his tape. At the end of the day, if everything pans out perfectly, I think Bundage could be a decent run-stopping inside linebacker that can rush the passer similarly to Vince Williams. He will have to carve out a role on special teams first, but if he can do that and stay healthy, Bundage could become a contributor a few years down the road.
3. Donovan Stiner
To be clear up front, the top three guys were almost interchangeable, and I believe all three have legitimate shots of making the roster. That said, of the three, Donovan Stiner is likely the least likely of the three to make the initial roster due to him being more of a pure safety. That said, he had great production in Florida and has quite a bit of position flexibility.
While his best stats came as a safety (and that is the position he should ultimately end up at if he becomes a contributor), Stiner was tasked with covering the slot last season. He wasn’t a natural at it, but he more than held his own. If the Steelers get desperate to find a slot capable player, Stiner could fill in similar to how Sean Davis did his rookie season. That said, as a safety that plays closer to the line of scrimmage, Stiner has the potential to be the third safety in subpackage defense and a top backup.
In all honesty, I like Stiner over Tre Norwood. While both are versatile, Stiner seems like he has more legitimate potential to become a solid safety. Considering he can play in the slot as well as the lack of defensive back depth overall, Stiner could be a sleeper to make the opening day roster. At a minimum, he seems like a practice squad candidate that could develop into a contributor down the road.
2. Mark Gilbert
Had Mark Gilbert not suffered through injuries and serious surgeries over the past two seasons, he easily would have been a top cornerback prospect in the draft. His sophomore season at Duke was incredible, as he displayed great coverage skills and a ball-hawking nature allowed him to pick off six passes. After his breakout year, there were talks of potential first-round grades for him, and at the minimum, he looked destined to be a day two pick.
Since then, Gilbert hasn’t been able to stay healthy, as multiple surgeries and a hip dislocation caused him to only play four total games in the past three years. If those injuries are still affecting him, he could easily be a one-and-done kind of player in the league. That said, that coverage ability may still be there. If he can stay on the field and flash some of those traits that scouts lauded about him before, he could make the roster outright.
While his injuries limited him, he still tested as a good athlete and has the size to play on the outside. If those injuries are behind him and he can stay healthy through the preseason, there is no reason to think he can’t crack the opening roster. At the minimum, he could spend the year on the practice squad due to his outside cornerback nature and wait for Joe Haden to depart next year. Those injuries are the big question right now, but if he can overcome them the sky is the limit for Gilbert.
1. Shakur Brown
The Steelers had an inherent need for a slot corner (or really any cornerback for that matter) that went mostly unmet during the draft. The team their best to add as many slot-capable options on the roster as undrafted free agents, but none look like better fits on paper than Shakur Brown from Michigan. Seen as a conscientious fourth-fifth round pick, Brown shockingly went undrafted before the Steelers quickly scooped him up.
His negative traits are cut and dry; Brown isn’t an overly physical slot defender like the now-departed Mike Hilton was, his athletic testing was horrible, and he only has one season as a starting player under his belt. That said, five interceptions he recorded in his lone year as a starter showcased some serious ball skills. His coverage was good as well, as he continued to take steps in his senior year that indicated growth as a player. Oh, and he is an underclassman, meaning that his best football should be in front of him.
I don’t mean this likely, but Brown is currently the best slot cornerback on this roster that isn’t named Cameron Sutton. While I expect the Steelers to use James Pierre on the outside and Sutton on the inside for sub-package defense, Brown could work his way onto the field. Even if he stays mostly on the bench this year, he has the ability to develop into a long-term solution at slot cornerback.
The Steelers attacked the defensive backs hard during the undrafted free agency period, and it seems to have paid off. Most of the options brought in have some serious potential both in the short and long term. No matter what you thought about the draft, the team should be lauded for the undrafted free agents they brought in after the draft.