The Steelers finished up their draft class with ten more undrafted free agents, and here is an initial ranking of the additional rookies.
The NFL draft doesn’t truly wrap up until after the undrafted frenzy finishes up. Teams scramble to land the big name that somehow went undrafted. While the Steelers rarely come up with these top names after the draft, they have found notable contributions from this group.
James Pierre and B.J. Finney come to mind as recent names while some all-time stars were James Harrison, Willie Parker, and Ramon Foster. While no one in this group is a lock to be a star, here is a ranking of all ten of the Steelers undrafted rookie free agents.
Steelers UDFA #10
The name that finds the bottom of this list just so happens to be the one I know the least about. Jake Dixon played for local Duquesne university and was a regular starter for the offense. He was their left tackle last season, and the team likely kept an eye on him given the proximity to where the Steelers play. He seemingly has some decent athleticism as he actually caught passes when he was an eligible receiver for the team.
Based on his size and length, Dixon will likely need to move inside to make the most impact. Ideally, he enters camp wearing a variety of hats, as he can play outside at tackle but also serves as depth along the interior. Based on his small school nature and lack of overall interest around the league though, I’m not expecting much from Dixon.
Steelers UDFA #9
A name with little fanfare for relatively obvious reasons, the Steelers added a low ceiling defensive lineman after the draft had settled. Donovan Jeter had a weird career while at Michigan. He was constantly out of the lineup, but he finally put together a full season of play in 2022. That said, his on-the-field play wasn’t notable in any way.
Given his size and lack of elite athleticism, Jeter’s best home is at nose tackle as he lacks the height and length to play closer to the end spot. Add in his lack of sack production while with Michigan and a role as a space-eater seems logical. If he has any chance of sticking in this league, he will have to carve out a role as a run stuffer.
Unfortunately for him, he enters a relatively stiff nose tackle room as of now. Tyson Alualu is set to start once again while Montravius Adams will serve as the backup. Add in more experienced names such as Carlos and Khalil Davis and the odds of Jeter sticking to the active roster isn’t great. That said, he could be practice squad material this season if he can show some development early.
Steelers UDFA #8
While Dixon from before covered the tackle and guard depth, Chris Owens fills in the rest of the necessary depth along the interior of the line. Hailing from Alabama, Owens is a very average prospect with a very limited ceiling. While he can use some power in the running game, his blocking tape leaves a lot to be desired.
The best trait of Owens is his versatility. He can play either guard spot and has also taken snaps at center. Alabama has churned out some high-quality linemen over the years, so there is hope that just him being from Alabama means he can carve out a niche role. Add in his power in the run game and there is a chance Owens becomes a versatile backup.
He has some nasty tape as a blocker though. More often than not, Owens fails to properly anchor and adjust to a pass rusher. When run blocking, he can get pushed around as his strength isn’t elite. Add in some mediocre athleticism and the odds seem long that Owens amounts to anything. That said, his versatility could help his cause in camp.
Steelers UDFA #7
The first two linemen mentioned had potential due to their versatility but lacked in technique, size, and athleticism. Jordan Tucker is a far different type of prospect. Tucker has immense size, as he stands 6’6 and weighed in at 344 pounds. Add in his impressive 35-inch arms and Tucker screams right tackle only.
The impressive size is about the only positive to Tucker’s game though. He does possess some impressive power in the run game. He uses his impressive size to bully defensive linemen. He can also anchor well. This makes him a decent run blocker. His game is all about using his size to excel as a blocker.
His technique is mediocre though, and in passing situations he can often get abused. Unless someone tries to match him power for power, Tucker usually ends up losing at the point of attack. Anything beyond a basic pass rush skill set usually results in Tucker getting beat. Long-term, he could develop into a backup, but he needs a lot of work to be impactful for the Steelers.
Steelers UDFA #6
A name I really want to like, especially considering the Steelers immediate and long-term needs at cornerback, Chris Steele just doesn’t do a lot for me. He has decent size, decent athleticism, and decent coverage, but he underproduced during his time at USC. He was lauded as a top recruit before coming to the Trojans, but he never became the player many expected him to be.
Where Steele excels is in his man coverage skills. He uses his size and speed to hold his own on the outside against outside receiving threats. Despite never looking like a true speed threat, he tested well enough there. He has decent straight-line speed to match starting receivers. His anticipation and reaction are another story though, as he can regularly be put out of position by good route runners.
While the Steelers do have some needs at cornerback, Steele has long odds to make the final roster. He needs to develop more as a coverage corner and as a run stopper. Given the fact he declared for the draft as a junior though, there is room for growth. A year on the practice squad seems likely, but Steele has the makings of a developmental cornerback.
Steelers UDFA #5
While Steele is the typical developmental outside cornerback, Bryce Watts has the makings of something more. While he isn’t as smooth in coverage as Steele is, Watts plays with a lot more physicality than Steele. While he was predominately an outside cornerback at Massachusetts, I think he has the size and physical mindset to make the move to the slot.
Watts plays like his hair is on fire. He has decent athleticism to make plays all over the field and can come up and play run support. He needs to wrap up better as a tackler but want to and willingness aren’t his issue. His size makes him a liability on the outside, as bigger cornerbacks can use their size against Watts. If moved to the inside though, that wouldn’t be as big of an issue.
Given his speed and physical nature, Watts could earn a roster spot early due to some special team’s ability. He could become a gunner and if he flashes some ability as a defensive player, the team could keep him and use him as a special team’s ace early. A move to the inside may be a necessity, but Watts has a lot of potential as a future slot cornerback.
Steelers UDFA #4
Now we get into the top undrafted free agents. The top four share two positions and are some of the more talented names to come out of this group. Add in the Steelers inherent need at both of these positions and it becomes clear that these names are the best bets to make an impact sooner rather than later for this roster.
Jaylen Warren was one of the more productive running backs in college last season for Oklahoma State last year. He finally got his shot to shine as the primary runner in an offense and he didn’t look back. A lot of what the Cowboy’s offense was running through Warren. He produced both as a physical runner and a surprisingly efficient receiver.
Warren lacks elite size and athleticism though, and that is likely why he ended up going undrafted this year. Despite being an efficient back, he needs to overcome some of his deficiencies in order to become a capable reserve back. If he were a little bigger or a little faster, Warren would have a better shot, but his odds aren’t great due to his lacking physical traits.
Steelers UDFA #3
One of the ignored positions during this draft, edge rusher has a lot of question marks amongst the group outside of the starters. T.D. Moultry flashed some while at Auburn, but his size makes him a hard player to bet for heading into camp. That said, he has gotten better every season while with the Tigers and could be a potential depth player this season.
Moultry’s motor is easily his best trait as a player. He never gives up on a play no matter where he is at, and that will likely endear him to future coaches and on special teams. As well, Moultry has violent hands as a pass rusher which aids in his ability to get after the quarterback. The issue with Moultry is his lack of size and length. He will struggle to get his hands onto offensive tackles at the next level.
The reason he makes it this high up the list is due to the lack of depth at edge rusher in general. As well, the lone free agent brought in, Genard Avery, is a very similar style of player to Moultry. It seems unlikely that he earns snaps over him. Unless Moultry can get some run as a core special teamer, he will likely be a practice squad player at best early on.
Steelers UDFA #2
A name that I really like amongst the Steelers undrafted rookies, Mataeo Durant is a speedy option for a backup running back. Kevin Colbert was on hand for Duke’s pro day (although that was likely due to him being in the area for North Carolina’s pro day), thus he likely saw a lot to like in the speedy potential reserve back.
Durant has had a productive four-year stint at Duke. His best season came as a senior as he finally took on the lead back duties for this offense. He put up nearly 1500 total yards and found the end zone 11 times in that span. Add in the impressive speed that he showed off at his pro day and he has the makings of a potentially valuable reserve back.
It’s hard not to see some Willie Parker comparisons to Durant. While Parker is the superior overall athlete, both were productive backs from similar areas that could carve out a role behind a power back. The Steelers need someone to play behind Najee Harris and take some pressure off of their star. Durant could help aid in that role in 2022.
Steelers UDFA #1
As already stated, the Steelers need some help at edge rusher, and they have not added a great reserve name there so far this off-season. It just so happened that their best-undrafted rookie happens to be a surprisingly productive edge rusher from Texas A&M. Tyree Johnson lacks the ability to be a typical starter, but he could become a situational pass rusher.
Johnson uses his shorter stature to get around offensive tackles well. He has a good bend around the edge and has a decent set of pass rush moves. He can have a role as early as year one due to his pass-rush ability. His lack of length and mediocre run-stopping ability is his main issue. He will likely never be able to be a full-time starter given his size issues.
There is a good chance that Johnson can become a good pass rusher and special teams player at the next level. That screams backup edge rusher for the Steelers. The odds of him actually becoming more than a depth player doesn’t seem great, but the team may have found some good depth in Johnson. At a minimum, he has the best odds to stick out of any of the undrafted free agents.
The Steelers draft concluded with them signing ten additional undrafted free agents. While none of these names are supreme talents, some of them have the potential to be quality depth players for this team. Keep these ten players in mind as the team prepares for the remainder of their offseason program.