5 young Steelers that have had the best training camp so far

Steelers Tre Norwood

Another rookie that I have mostly overlooked, Tre Norwood has had as strong of a start to camp as a seventh-round pick could hope for. He has been all over the defense (highlighting his versatility) and has shown some great ball skills. He picked off two passes in camp on Thursday and considering the Steelers’ secondaries focus on creating turnovers, that likely brought a lot of attention to the young rookie.

His ball skills aren’t his only notable trait though. He has been sticky in coverage and has been able to track well with the receivers he has been covering. While Cameron Sutton and James Pierre have also been extremely solid, neither of their good play is as surprising as Norwood. No one was sure what role Norwood would have with the team given his consistent moving around of the Oklahoma defense, but he seems to have flashed good defensive ability regardless.

While there is still a lot to prove, if I had to circle the spot Norwood could possibly contribute at, it would be Suttons’ old sixth defensive back spot in dime defense. The hybrid safety/slot cornerback feels like a good spot for a player of Norwood’s capability. Unfortunately for him, there are a plethora of other players competing for that role. That said, his strong start to camp has been noticed, and it has put him in a better place to try and earn a roster spot on this 2021 team.

While the Steelers have had quite a few positive standouts in training camp so far, these five young options have easily been the biggest surprises. Each came in with varying expectations, and all of them have exceeded them so far in the process. While there is still a lot of training camp to go, keep an eye on these players as each hopes to carve out a role on the Steelers’ active roster in 2021.