6 late round Steelers who will make an impact in the 2021 season

While the Steelers roster is slanted heavily to early-round picks, these recent late-round and undrafted guys have a chance to make a real impact in 2021.

The Steelers have a long history of late-round and undrafted players finding roles and even starting on this team. While instant impact players are found in the first two days of the draft, a roster is built on day three and through the undrafted pool. Looking at the teams’ roster this season, there are a few new and former late-round and undrafted players that are poised to make an impact this season.

What defines a Steelers late-round pick?

The definition of a late-round pick is up for debate, but for the purposes of this article, it will be defined as a player that hasn’t played considerably in the NFL (assuming they aren’t a rookie) and were taken in the fifth round or later of the draft. While one could argue that a fourth-round pick is a late-round guy, typically their initial roster spot is secure and they are taken with the hope of eventually becoming a starter. Compare that to anyone after and their odds of making an opening day roster are thin let alone the odds of them actually starting.

This means Kevin Dotson is not on this list despite the fact he is set to start due to his draft status (if you include fourth-round picks, he would have made the list). As well, Vince Williams is also not on this list. While he was a sixth-round pick, he has been a regular starter and thus him having an impact this year is expected. With all that said, here are the six late-round players set to make an impact with the 2021 Steelers.

Pressley Harvin III

It is no secret that the Steelers have struggled in the punter department for seemingly forever. A constant rotation between options and little consistency when on the field has led to this position being agonizing to watch for the team. Jordan Berry has had some success, but he seems so hot and cold. He will punt for periods and look like a great punter and then follow that up with a month of horrid punting.

While Steelers’ seventh-round pick Pressley Harvin III is no roster lock, one has to imagine he has the upper hand over Berry right now. Harvin has a powerful leg and decent accuracy, thus the reason the team decided to invest a draft pick in him. He doesn’t need to become the best punter in the league to make this roster. He just needs to be more consistent than Berry has been during his tenure. Assuming he makes the roster, he will have the tall task of bettering the Steelers’ punting unit.