Coming out of Georgia Tech University as a rookie seventh-round draft pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, punter Pressley Harvin III not only had to adjust to punting in the NFL, he also had to take on the task of trying to become a steady holder for Pro Bowl kicker Chris Boswell.
That was a huge task for the rookie, who eventually took over for veteran punter Jordan Berry in training camp, who served as Boswell’s holder for six seasons, which happened to be the best stretch of play from the Steelers’ standout kicker. While there was some anxiety from Boswell’s end going from the sure thing in Berry to a relative unknown in Harvin III.
To Boswell’s credit, the Steelers’ kicker had a career year, drilling 36-of-40 field goals, which became a career-high in field goals made and points as the Steelers leaned heavily on the standout’s right leg. Throughout the season there were relatively few hiccups with Harvin as the holder.
Now, entering their second season together as a tandem, Boswell stated to Steelers.com’s Teresa Varley Thursday ahead of the Steelers’ second day of training camp that he’s much more comfortable working with Harvin overall.
“When he came in, he was just holding for a college kicker,” Boswell said to Varley and Steelers.com. “Not saying that is any different, but you have to be a lot more precise and in tune with each other at this stage. I am 1,000 times more comfortable at this stage than last year at this time. He has worked his tail off to get where he is right now.”
Though Harvin certainly had his struggles as a punter, he worked his tail off, as Boswell said, to get comfortable in a rather underrated yet difficult role overall. Throughout six seasons with Berry there were very rarely any sort of issues for Boswell, though he went through a rather difficult season in 2018 due to injuries, leading to a career-worst season.
Entering Year 2 with Harvin though, there’s no real need to adjust or get to know each other from Boswell’s perspective. The comfort level is there, the trials and tribulations have been experienced between the two. Being in tune with each other at this stage, and being much more comfortable with each other could lead to an even better season for Boswell in 2022.
