5 Steelers rookies to keep an eye on during training camp

Steelers Kendrick Green

Kendrick Green was a relatively surprising selection for the Steelers. Despite the major need at center, the team opted to wait until the third round of the draft to select their guy. As well, they drafted a player that saw the majority of his snaps come at guard. This means that, if Green were to start, he would have to both overcome his draft status as well as his positional switch.

This isn’t impossible, but the early reports don’t seem great. The team brought back B.J. Finney this offseason, and even he wasn’t the starting center during OTAs. Instead, it was J.C. Hassenauer that saw the majority of the first-team reps. Now, this isn’t the end of the world, as he was with the team last year and even started on occasion, but the fact that Green hasn’t been heard of much isn’t a great start.

Once training camp officially gets underway, look for Green to get more burn with the first team at center. As long as the Steelers get him some snaps in camp, the chances of him starting to remain. That said, if Finney or Hassenauer continue to see first-team reps over Green, then the team may have to look elsewhere at center year one. Training camp will be awfully telling, as if Green doesn’t get more burn with the starters, his rookie season may be more of a wash.

With training camp getting closer, the Steelers rookie class will look to make an impact early and often. The early picks are already locked to make an impact, but some of the mid and late-round rookies will really need to make an impact once camp opens. Keep an eye on these five rookies as their training camp will ultimately determine the impact they have in 2021.