The Steelers had a very strong draft class this year, and while it seems like some major changes in strategies and focus were at hand, the undrafted strategy remained unchanged. The rest of the league has begun adding more guaranteed money to undrafted rookie deals to land the top names that fall out of the draft. There was hope that Pittsburgh would follow this trend under a new regime.
That seemingly hasn’t happened, as the team quickly announced seven undrafted free agents had been signed to their roster, and all of them seem like lower-level options. I’m doubting that any of the names here broke the trend this team has of only handing out the signing bonus.
Despite this lackluster group, I wanted to take the time to rank them based on their fit with the team and the potential impact I could see them having down the road. Almost all of these players won’t be impact options early on, but they could develop roles later on. Here is a ranking of the seven undrafted free agents the Steelers added.
7. B.T. Potter, K, Clemson
The Steelers had some interest in a few rookie kickers, and they quickly inked B.T. Potter to a deal after the draft concluded. Chris Boswell is still firmly in place as the lead kicker for this team, but another leg will be needed for camp. The interest in kickers made it seem like Boswell may have some serious competition this summer.
I don’t think Potter is much of a threat. He lacks a great leg and was surprisingly inconsistent as a college kicker. His accuracy issues will likely continue to plague him, and unless he becomes a stronger kicker, I don’t see him lasting. I would be surprised if Potter is around past this summer.