4 Steelers rookies with the hardest path to the 2021 roster

Isaiah McKoy

While Isaiah McKoy falls into a similar camp as Bussey, he seems to on paper at least, have the slight edge as a potential roster-able player. McKoy has an established style of play, as he was a successful deep threat while playing for Kent State the past three years. As well, he was only a junior coming out of school, so there is a chance he could continue to develop further.

What is really appealing with him is his size. He has better size than Bussey as he stands 6’2, 200 lbs., and he has some longer strides that help make him play faster than his registered 4.68 forty time. Where McKoy could really factor in is as a gunner on special teams. There is projection there as it wasn’t something he was asked to do in college, but he has the size and on-field athleticism to make an impact there similar to how Darrius Heyward-Bey did in the latter half of his career.

That said unless he shows up to camp and proves to be a valiant special team’s ace, his odds of making the roster are about the same as Bussey. He would have to prove to be an exceptional gunner to have a shot at cracking the roster as the sixth receiver, but considering the team only had five receivers on the roster last year even that isn’t a guarantee. McKoy should factor into the practice squad potentially, but him making the active roster outright would be a surprise.