Real minor piece of news to pass along to you guys but we’re nothing if not thorough. The Pittsburgh Steelers have invited Cal (PA) tight end Paul Butler to their rookie minicamp.
Butler has NFL size at 6’6 252. He didn’t run well at his Pro Day, turning in a 4.91, but jumped an incredible 39.5 inches and posted a 7.06 in the three cone. Primarily used as a blocker in school, he caught 15 passes for 173 yards and three scores, the latter ranking fourth on the team.
He began his career as a walk-on defensive end at Akron before moving to tight end midway through the season, he said in an interview with NFL Draft Diamonds. When no scholarship came in the offseason, he transferred to Cal.
There was one off the field incident, getting charged in 2013 for criminal mischief and misrepresenting about his age to get alcohol. Cal U, as strong of a football school as it is, has had a wide array of issues with their football team off the field and has become a popular spot for troubled D-I players to transfer to.
Still, Butler has some intriguing size/athleticism metrics that may give him a better-than-average chance in his tryout with the Steelers. I almost never post highlights but considering how obscure he is, here’s a highlight reel of his time at Cal.
Here’s perhaps his best play, making a diving catch in the end zone against IUP.
He’ll have to prove he’s more valuable than Scott Orndoff, a UDFA signed by the team after the draft, and Ryan Malleck, if he survives the impending wave of cuts, as a futures contract back in the winter.
Pittsburgh will hold their rookie minicamp May 12 through the 14th.
