Despite having one of the oldest rosters in the NFL, the Pittsburgh Steelers found a way to keep 11 rookies on the roster. With so much inexperience, this group could hit the ground running and help the team out sooner than expected.
With this in mind, I’ll keep tags on the rookies every week and assess their stock as their situation updates. As long as they remain on the roster, they will have a spot on this list to dissect their standing in Pittsburgh.
Without any real games being played yet, this will be the baseline that this year's crop starts from, and things could shift quickly once the season kicks off on September 13.
Updated Pittsburgh Steelers rookie stock report ahead of Week 1
Kevin Jobity Jr.
The biggest surprise on this list, the Steelers decided to keep the raw undrafted rookie out of Syracuse. Despite a mostly quiet offseason, Pittsburgh saw enough to keep Kevin Jobity on its active roster.
Will he stick? Time will tell, but there are certainly traits worth working with. While his run defense needs work, his pass rush is impressive for a young player. Given the need for better help when it comes to getting after the quarterback, there is reason to stash him on the team.
For now, he feels like he is riding high. While I expect him to be a weekly inactive, which will cause his stock to level out over time, you can’t deny that his stock is way up right now.
Stock Up
Eli Heidenreich
Like Jobity, Eli Heidenreich also felt like a surprising name to make the team. For that reason, his stock is also elevated. That said, it can quickly level out if he doesn’t warrant being on the roster.
While his offensive role will be minimal right now, I have my focus on his role on special teams. If he can shine there, he will quickly be a player who is cemented on the roster for the foreseeable future.
Stock Up
Robert Spears-Jennings
Unlike the previous two names, Robert Spears-Jennings felt like he was worthy of making the team. The question was whether the math worked out to get him on the active roster. That was quickly answered after DeShon Elliott was moved to IR to begin the year.
Now the question is what his role will look like. You’d have to imagine that the Steelers will be keen on playing Rayshawn Jenkins first, but Spears-Jennings was getting a lot of first-team reps in practice.
Special teams will be his core strength, though, and he played a wide variety of roles there during the summer. He could quickly develop a role on defense if his arrow continues to point up.
Stock Up
Gabriel Rubio
While everyone panned the Gabriel Rubio pick, he has quietly had one of the most impressive summers of any player on the team. His run defense was always his calling card, but he looked dominant when on the field and plugging run lanes.
His roster spot wasn’t secure, though. Dean Lowry was playing well, and he had history with Mike McCarthy. That said, Rubio won the job, which only improves his stock right now.
Will the team dress six defensive linemen? It seems likely. Frankly, I’d mix Rubio in on obvious run downs right now. You could argue that he is the best run defender along the defensive line not named Cameron Heyward. Like Spears-Jennings, he could have a role sooner than anyone expects.
Stock Up
Riley Nowakowski
We finally move past the names that were question marks to make the team into players who felt like secure options. Riley Nowakowski quickly cemented himself as the de facto fullback with tight end capabilities.
We saw the offense get Nowakowski involved in the preseason, and I think he could quietly make an impact in a wide variety of ways. That said, time will tell if he can do anything more than just be a fullback for this offense.
Stock Even
Kaden Wetjen
We saw the good and the bad from Kaden Wetjen in the offseason. The returner made a splash on both offense and returns, including a punt-return touchdown, but the middle was sandwiched between mediocre tape.
His returns were constantly going east to west, which limited the impact of his returns. He also had some fumbling issues, which could have derailed his ability to make the team.
There were real concerns late that Wetjen was going to miss the roster. The punt return touchdown secured his spot, but he feels like a bigger question mark than you would want in a fourth-round pick return man.
Stock Down
Gennings Dunker
It was a quiet summer for the Steelers' third-round pick. Despite there being a need for offensive guard help, Gennings Dunker quickly faded away as an option to start.
There were some solid reps on tape, but he feels like a long shot to even dress on Sunday. At the very least, he never felt like a real competitor to actually land the starting job. It seems like 2026 will be a redshirt for the rookie.
Stock Down
Daylen Everette
One of my most slept-on draft picks, I didn’t have a great feel for Daylen Everette coming out of Georgia. He felt raw despite playing a lot in college. It looks like he is much farther along than I thought.
That said, his hot start to camp slightly faded down the stretch. Injuries kept him off the field, and now he feels like he may be stuck as a weekly inactive to start the season. There is long-term hope, and he is just one injury away from potentially earning a role, but for now, special teams and warming the bench feel like Everette’s role.
Stock Even
Drew Allar
There were a lot of flaws with Drew Allar on tape at Penn State, but it feels like he already made some small steps forward during his short time in Pittsburgh. His mechanics were better than his college tape, and we saw the big-play ability that made him, at one point, a top quarterback candidate.
The rest of this season should be pretty straightforward. If he is seeing any playing time, it likely means a lot of things went wrong. At the very least, the Steelers will have to give him a longer look next year as a potential starter.
Stock Up
Germie Bernard
Germie Bernard did his best Jekyll and Hyde impersonation this summer. His practice reports weren’t great. Most of the summer was quiet, and he was also brought up for making a lot of rookie mistakes that were costing the offense.
Once the lights came on, Bernard looked like a different player.
He showed everything we saw at Alabama during the preseason. Given how Roman Wilson faded, there should be a real conversation about Bernard stepping in as the third receiver. Week one will be telling as to who actually has the leg up in this battle.
Stock Up
Max Iheanachor
Max Iheanachor flashed early in camp, and it felt like he was going to quickly lock up a starting job. Then, injuries struck, and he only saw the field for the last preseason game. There were ups and downs, but overall there was enough good tape to build around.
With Broderick Jones out the door, it feels like Iheanachor will open the season as the top backup tackle while still fighting for the starting right tackle job. It isn’t ideal, but there is a clear path to getting on the field in 2026.
Stock Down
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