Steelers Preseason Week 1 Rookie Report: Wilson Shines, Fautanu Struggles

One of the most exciting aspects of the preseason every year is seeing the rookies in action for the first time. For the Pittsburgh Steelers, most of the notable rookies from the highly touted draft class were able to contribute early in their first preseason game, a 20-12 loss against the Houston Texans.

Most of the action was in the trenches, particularly on the defensive line, so early struggles are to be expected. The lone notable omission in the first contest was third-round pick Roman Wilson, who missed the game as he nurses an ankle injury.

The rookies who did take the field experienced their fair share of highs and lows. Let's break down how they performed.

Pittsburgh Steelers rookie report after preseason loss to Texans

OT Troy Fautanu

The Steelers' first-round draft pick had an early "welcome to the NFL moment" on a third and short on the Steelers' second offensive drive, relinquishing a sack to veteran pass rusher Danielle Hunter.

While he started the next drive a stronger, he gave up another third-down sack that knocked Pittsburgh out of potential field goal range. Fautanu saw most of his struggles in pass protection, which often came down to footwork and body balance, which can thankfully be coached up with time. On the other hand, he showed great strength and leverage as a run blocker, as advertised.

Fautanu's day came to an end at halftime. Overall, there is certainly room for improvement for the potential starting right tackle.

C Zach Frazier

After two mishandled snaps with Nate Herbig and Justin Fields, Frazier took his first snap on the third drive. While it appeared the fumbled exchanges could be pinned on Fields, the switch was made and the center-quarterback exchange remained clean for the remainder of the game.

The rushing attack picked up a bit with Frazier in the game. He generated a strong push on the interior of Houston's defensive line, though the Texans had pulled a few starters by the time Frazier joined the action.

Frazier had a quality first outing overall playing in all four quarters. He delivered clean snaps and had solid reps in both the passing and rushing game.

LB Payton Wilson

Wilson made an impact as soon as he hit the field. On his first punt coverage, he made the stop and followed it up with a tackle for loss on the first defensive snap.

Wilson played, in large part, extremely well in the run game, but did have a slip-up in coverage against fellow rookie Cade Stover.

Wilson led the Steelers in tackles with seven, playing in three quarters. Wilson came away as arguably the most exciting rookie to the average viewer. He splashed early and played consistently. He's as advertised, flying around the ball and making plays. Everything wasn't perfect, but he took full advantage of his reps.

OG Mason McCormick

McCormick also joined the action alongside Frazier on the third offensive drive of the game. He played well, showing a strong push in the interior rushing game in his own right.

McCormick paired well with Frazier to give the Steelers a boost up front. Like his center, McCormick comes away with few complaints and a fairly clean game through three quarters.

DT Logan Lee

The impressive depth of the Steelers' defensive line kept Lee off the field in the first half. Once he hit the field in the third quarter, he quickly got in on the action tracking down a screen pass that resulted in a first down. That was the only tackle for Lee, who didn't see many snaps in the defensive rotation.

CB Ryan Watts

Watts heard his name called in the first quarter after Houston's touchdown as he was called for a holding on the kickoff.

Watts joined the defense in the second quarter and had a bit of misfortune as Montravious Adams batted a pass that appeared to be a possible interception opportunity for the former Longhorn. He nearly closed the first half with another pick as a batted pass flew his way, but he was unable to bring it in.

Overall, Watts was around the ball quite a bit and scored four tackles. There are a few things to clean up, as would be expected for a late-Day 3 pick, but, for the most part, he put up some promising film.

S Beanie Bishop Jr.

Bishop joined the defense in the second quarter as well. He let up a first down in man coverage on a third and short drag route.

Bishop finished with four tackles, but no pass deflections. Still, he filled in well in the slot, showing strong awareness for an undrafted player. While not overly flashy, he kept pace with the play that has lent excitement from the start of training camp.

RB Daijun Edwards

The Georgia free agent stepped into the game in the fourth quarter and made a quick impact taking his second carry 24 yards to the 1-yard line before punching it in for a score on the next play.

Edwards led the team in rushing, though it was just the three carries for 28 yards. He also grabbed a check-down pass on the Steelers' final drive for nine yards.

While he didn't have many opportunities, it's notable that Edwards took advantage of his small workload behind the deepest rotation on the offensive line.