The Pittsburgh Steelers will have at least one notable name attend their rookie minicamp, which is slated to run May 12-14. According to the XFL Twitter account, WR Hakeem Butler will be attending the team’s camp on a tryout basis.
A former 4th-round pick out of Iowa State, Butler brings great size at 6’5 227 and had many fans coming out of college. His NFL career never materialized, appearing in just two games with zero catches. Both those games came in 2020 with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Coming out of the draft, Butler was viewed as a height/weight/speed candidate, running a 4.48 40 and jumping 36 inches in the vert at the 2019 NFL Combine. You can check out our pre-draft profile on him here.
Butler had a strong season in the XFL with the Seattle Battlehawks. According to Football Database, Butler caught 51 passes for 599 yards and eight touchdowns this season. Here are some of his notable highlights from the year.
His OC there was former Steelers’ QB Bruce Gradkowski.
While he’ll be part of the team’s rookie minicamp on a tryout basis, he’s been playing well enough that it wouldn’t be surprising if he earned a contract on the other side. Most players don’t, but the Steelers typically sign at least one player who entered on a tryout basis, including ones like LB Terence Garvin and QB Duck Hodges.
Butler is the second player with at least NFL camp experience to be part of the team’s rookie minicamp. He’ll join OT Chidi Okeke, who played for the XFL’s San Antonio Brahmas this year.
UPDATE (9:01 PM): XFL reporter Evan Willsmore makes an important point, noting XFL players can’t sign contracts with NFL teams until May 15th. Meaning the Steelers are likely to sign Butler following their rookie minicamp when they are allowed to do so, assuming he looks fine during the team’s three-day minicamp that wraps up May 14th. Pittsburgh has only 87 on its roster meaning they won’t have to cut someone to add Butler to the roster.
