For a group of guys in their early 20s, you can't expect every day to be 'all work and no play.' The Pittsburgh Steelers have been busy with Organized Team Activities... but it was about time the 2024 rookie class got the full Yinzer experience.
On Monday, June 3, Steelers rookies spent the day at Pittsburgh's most notable theme park: Kennywood. Players like OT Troy Fautanu, C Zach Frazier, WR Roman Wilson, LB Payton Wilson, and OG Mason McCormick took part in the festivities.
The Steelers' social media crew followed the rookies around and captured their experience. Here are some pictures and videos from their Kennywood experience.
A little team bonding at Kennywood this morning! pic.twitter.com/bEMHjldMEd
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) June 3, 2024
Everyone loves Kennywood Day 🎢 @Kenny_Kangaroo pic.twitter.com/MRuXYIbSUa
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) June 3, 2024
Joining the Steelers' 2024 rookie draft class were undrafted rookies and veterans. Newcomers Russell Wilson, Justin Fields, and Patrick Queen got to experience Kennywood for the first time.
This was a team-wide event, but the rookies were featured by the Steelers' social media account. The new kids on the block are drawing a lot of attention since Omar Khan raked in his second impressive rookie draft class in as many years as general manager.
Steelers rookies experience the calm before the storm
Right now, there are periods of rest and relaxation mixed in with the end of OTAs practices and the upcoming mandatory minicamp. But soon, it's going to be all business for this group of young players, and they are going to get quite the welcome to the National Football League.
The Pittsburgh Steelers will open the season with three of their first four games on the road (four in a five-week stretch if you count the final game of the preseason). After a manageable stretch in the middle of the season, the NFL stuck Pittsburgh with a brutal schedule to close the year.
From Week 11 until Week 18, the Steelers will face the Ravens, Bengals, and Browns twice with a road game against the Eagles and a Christmas Day game against the back-to-back Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.
For young players who are used to playing 12-14 games a year against conferences like the Pac-12, Big 12, Big Ten, and ACC, this is going to be quite the wake-up call.
They will have to get acclimated to the NFL game quickly, as players like Fautanu, Frazier, Roman Wilson, and Payton Wilson could be called upon to fill significant roles right away.
The Steelers' brutal 2024 schedule is still months away and the rookie class is living it up. But this is the calm before the storm, and the intensity is going to crank up to a level these players have never seen by their first winter in the NFL.