Nobody expected 11 rookies to make the Pittsburgh Steelers' final 53-man roster. Not only did all 10 2026 draft picks make the team, but the Steelers kept undrafted rookie Kevin Jobity Jr. Sadly, Pittsburgh's faith in their rookie class only runs so deep, as we witnessed in Week 1 against the Atlanta Falcons.
Despite rookies accounting for just over one-fifth of their entire team, not a single rookie saw notable playing time in the Steelers' season opener at home.
While five of Pittsburgh's rookies suited up in the Week 1 opener were asked to play key roles on special teams, the Steelers' rookies, as a collective, combined for merely 16 offensive and defensive snaps against the Falcons.
Pittsburgh Steelers rookies combined offensive and defensive snaps in Week 1
Rookie | Week 1 snaps | Week 1 status |
|---|---|---|
Riley Nowakowski | 8 | Active |
Germie Bernard | 3 | Active |
Eli Heidenreich | 3 | Active |
Daylen Everette | 1 | Active |
Max Iheanachor | 1 | Active |
Kaden Wetjen | 0 | Active |
Robert Spears-Jennings | 0 | Active |
Gabriel Rubio | 0 | Inactive |
Gennings Dunker | 0 | Inactive |
Kevin Jobity Jr. | 0 | Inactive |
Drew Allar | 0 | Inactive |
The Steelers' offense saw the field for 67 total snaps, per Pro Football Reference. Despite this, Steelers rookie skill players Riley Nowakowski, Germie Bernard, and Eli Heidenreich combined for just 14 snaps.
Meanwhile, first-round pick Max Iheanachor came in at right tackle for just one play after Troy Fautanu went down (Dylan Cook flipped over to left tackle for one snap). This brings the offensive snap count up to just 15 for Pittsburgh's rookies in Week 1.
Defensively, third-round pick Daylen Everette was the lone rookie to see the field in the Steelers' opener, but it was for the same reason Iheanachor entered the game. On one play early in the contest, veteran cornerback Jamel Dean got rolled up on. With trainers attending to him, he was forced to watch from the sidelines for one snap before returning to action. That was Everette's lone play on defense.
This equates to just 16 offensive and defensive snaps between the seven members of the 2026 rookie draft class who were active for this contest. The other four rookies—Gabriel Rubio, Gennings Dunker, Kevin Jobity Jr., and Drew Allar—were healthy scratches in Week 1.
Every Special teams snap by a Steelers rookie in Week 1
Rookie | Week 1 ST snaps |
|---|---|
Riley Nowakowski | 17 |
Daylen Everette | 16 |
Eli Heidenreich | 13 |
Kaden Wetjen | 10 |
Germie Bernard | 4 |
It's important to note that the Steelers had no issue thrusting five rookies into special teams roles from Day 1. Just like he did on offense, Nowakowski led all Steelers rookies in special teams snaps with 17.
Meanwhile, Everette played a key role as a special teams defenseman, while Heidenreich and Wetjen played roles as the primary return specialists.
But it's hard for the rookie class to make an impact, given their limited roles on offense and defense.
The Steelers need to ramp up the usage of rookie draft picks quickly
This was Week 1. We don't want to make a big deal about Mike McCarthy hardly using his rookie draft picks in the team's opening game of the 2026 season. However, this trend can't continue, and we need to see the Steelers ramp up rookie participation moving forward.
With an average age of 27.1 years old, the Pittsburgh Steelers, ironically, tied the Atlanta Falcons for the oldest roster in the NFL (following 53-man roster cutdowns), per Philly Voice. If they look slow or tired on either side of the football, there's a reason for that. Infusing youth and athleticism onto the field could help.
Obviously, the situation has to call for it. McCarthy clearly isn't ready to insert Iheanachor or Dunker into the starting offensive line this early in the season, while Allar (as the QB4) will be lucky if he sees a single snap all year.
But other players can get involved and find a way to make a difference.
With the Steelers' struggles in the passing game, it was almost bizarre to see second-round pick Germie Bernard log just three offensive snaps. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers finished his Week 1 outing completing just 24 of 40 passes for 5.5 yards per attempt (37.0 QBR), and it makes you wonder whether Bernard could have aided the passing attack if given the chance.
Right now, Nowakowski—a fifth-round fullback/H-back—is the only Steelers rookie with a notable role on game day. Now it's time for the others to join in.
With the league's oldest roster, the Steelers are only going to need more help from their rookie class. How long can Pittsburgh go without using one-fifth of their roster (and the youngest players on the team)?
We don't expect these changes to occur overnight, but we should soon see an uptick, even this week, as the Steelers prepare to face the New England Patriots on the road.
But if this doesn't happen soon, McCarthy's refusal to play his rookies could come back to bite him late in the 2026 season when his veterans are gassed, and his rookies still don't have the kinks ironed out.
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