The Steelers added a total of 17 rookies to the roster after the draft and undrafted free agent signings, but these four rookies may have a surprisingly difficult time making the roster.
Rookies are always the talk of the town leading up to, and after, the draft. There is a natural element of excitement in a rookie, as they are oozing with potential after finding their way to their respective teams. While the Steelers class has plenty of potential stars in it, everyone won’t end up making the roster, unfortunately.
What makes a Steelers rookie have bad roster odds?
Naturally, this list is only going to detail late-round and undrafted rookies for the team. Typically, a fourth-round pick or better is safe, and while a fifth-round pick is not a lock to make the team, Isaiahh Loudermilk was acquired in a trade-up, essentially securing his position on the roster. As well, positional depth and value will affect this list.
While the odds are long for any undrafted player to make the roster outright, some are playing at naturally thinner positions meaning their path to the roster is more prevalent. With all of that said, here are the four Steelers rookies’ tough paths to make the roster.
Rico Bussey Jr.
Starting off the list, Rico Bussey Jr. was one of the more underwhelming options in the teams’ undrafted free agent pool this year. While he found success, more so at North Texas than at Hawaii, he never had a defining trait that made him an elite college player. Used more as a vertical threat, Bussey doesn’t have the athleticism to be a traditional big-play threat.
Simply put, he doesn’t stick out as a realistic player to make this roster in any capacity. Their other undrafted receiver (more on him soon) has a more unique skill set while some of the added futures free agents the team signed this offseason at least have a niche. Bussey will really have to make himself uncuttable if he wants to make this team. Receiver is a deep room, and his lack of a defining traits makes it unlikely that he finds his way onto the 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.
Tre Norwood
Tre Norwood was a name that not a lot of people expected to hear get drafted. While his five interceptions as a junior is a great laurel to rest his head on, he was also a factor in giving up several big plays on one of the worst defenses in college football. That wasn’t all his fault naturally, but his need for development could make him a longshot to make the active roster for week one.
The issue is, the team seemingly wants to play him as a hybrid slot cornerback and free safety. With the recent raving reports about Shakur Brown playing a large portion of the slot cornerback snaps so far (there is a reason his name isn’t on this list after all), it seems like Norwood will have to carve out a spot as a reserve free safety. Unfortunately for him, Arthur Maulet was signed shortly after the draft, and he would be a more capable free safety than Norwood on paper.
While he could still sneak his way onto the roster, don’t be surprised to see him discarded by the end of the preseason and either be on the practice squad or off the team altogether. Unless he really sticks out and shows some improvements in coverage, Norwood’s odds of making the roster aren’t great. Even the undrafted guys like Lamont Wade and Donovan Stiner could see a push over Norwood due to them being more comfortable as traditional safeties. He could stick if he flashes a little in camp, but of all of the Steelers drafted players Norwood sticks out as the most obvious cut candidate.
Pressley Harvin
Don’t get me wrong here, Pressley Harvin has a good chance of making the roster. That said, his spot is far from a guarantee. While Jordan Berry has been one of Steelers nation’s favorite villains to go after, he had one of his better seasons last year. Despite being cut before week one, Berry found his way back onto the team and served as a fine punter for the majority of the rest of the season.
Harvin certainly has some credibility to him, as he won the Ray Guy Award last season as the nation’s best punter. That said, he also had some consistency issues while at Georgia Tech, and his playing size, while unique, has raised concerns about his overall athleticism. The Steelers felt comfortable enough to take a flyer on him in the seventh round, but they opted to keep Berry on the roster as well going into camp. This indicates that this will be a camp battle as opposed to the team simply handing Harvin the job.
While drafting a punter is a significant investment, it doesn’t guarantee that Harvin beats out an established veteran in Berry. The Steelers spent an earlier pick on Colin Holba previously and he was cut at the end of camp. While Harvin is a fun player to watch with an extremely strong leg, don’t expect the team to hand him the job. While he can certainly earn it, a few errant kicks could lead to Berry retaining his job.
The Steelers roster will have plenty of rookies on it and contributing this season. Out of the entire class though, these four rookies have a tougher road to make the roster. Whether it be stiff competition or better options ahead of them on the depth chart, these four rookies will be fighting for a roster spot come training camp.