Steelers Sign 2019 Draft Pick, RB Benny Snell Jr.

The Pittsburgh Steelers rookie minicamp will take place this weekend and it looks like the team might exit that annual event with at least half of their 2019 draft class signed.

After already signing outside linebacker Sutton Smith, defensive lineman Isaiah Buggs, and wide receiver Diontae Johnson to their four-year rookie deals, the Steelers announced on Wednesday that they have also now signed running back Benny Snell Jr., the team’s fourth-round selection out of Kentucky.

At the scouting combine this year, Snell measured in at 5103, 224-pounds with 31-inch arms and 9 3/8-inch hands. he ran his 40-yard dash in 4.66-seconds, did 16 reps on the bench and posted a vertical jump of 29.5-inches and a broad jump of 9’11”. At Kentucky, Snell rushed for 3,873 yards and 48 touchdowns on 737 total carries. He also caught 29 passes for 216 yards. He now holds the Kentucky record for career rushing yards (3,873), total TDs (48), rushing TDs (48) and 100-yard games (19).

“I’m really excited about Benny. Very evident when you sit down with this young man on how much he has passion for the game, how much he loves it, how he loves being around it. We were very interested in finding someone who had a passion and just loves football, and that’s Benny Snell,” Steelers running backs coach Eddie Faulkner said not long after the running back was selected.

“As soon as you turn on his tape, and watch how he plays the game, he mirrors that same amount of passion. He plays physical, plays hard, and quite honestly represents the Steelers brand, as you watch him play as a football player. I had the opportunity to work with him on his Pro Day. He was very intense, very intuitive, and very important to him. We saw the things that we needed to see that helps compliment the current roster running backs, and we’re very excited to have him part of our running back family.”

According to estimates by Over the Cap ahead of this year’s draft, Snell’s four-year contract that he signed on Wednesday is expected to total out at around $3,222,060 and include a signing bonus of roughly $702,060. His 2019 salary cap charge is expected to be around $670,515, according to those estimated numbers.

As soon as Snell’s contract is officially filed with the NFLPA, we’ll pass along the exact numbers to you. Several more members of the Steelers 2019 draft class are expected to sign their rookie contracts by end of this coming weekend as that’s when the team’s annual rookie mini camp is scheduled to take place.