Now that the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2022 season is over, the team finishing above .500 but failing to make the postseason, we turn our attention to the offseason and everything that means. One thing that it means is that some stock evaluations are going to start taking on broader contexts, reflecting on a player’s development, either positively or negatively, over the course of the season. Other evaluations will reflect only one immediate event or trend. The nature of the evaluation, whether short-term or long-term, will be noted in the reasoning section below.
Player: Alfonzo Graham
Stock Value: Up
Reasoning: The rookie running back not only earned a spot on the 90-man roster via a rookie minicamp tryout invitation, at least according to some reporters, he was able to offer some flash during the past few weeks of the Steelers’ OTA practices.
We did not cover the original signing of rookie running back Alfonzo Graham in this column, so this will serve as sort of a two-for-one. Signed after rookie minicamp following a tryout while there, the Morgan State product was scouted by the Steelers on the HBCU circuit, having not only attended the HBCU Combine—and seen personally by Omar Khan—but also the Legacy Bowl.
Rushing for a 6.6-yard average during his college career, and with some history of returning kicks, Graham arrives in Pittsburgh hoping to challenge for a currently vacant spot on the depth chart. Last year’s third running back, Benny Snell Jr., is currently an unsigned free agent.
At 5’9, 180 pounds, he actually did not test incredibly well for a running back of his size, but according to Alex Kozora, he looks faster on his college tape than his timed 4.56-second 40 suggests. I also don’t know exactly how they timed the 40 at the HBCU Combine. Maybe someone had a slow stopwatch. Who knows.
For whatever it might be worth at this point, Graham has gotten a bit of attention so far—always helped when a tryout player from rookie minicamp earns a spot—most notably with Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette casually likening him to Jaylen Warren. Warren was a rookie free agent last year who not only made the team but became a very strong number two back.
Graham has competition in fighting for the spot behind Najee Harris and Warren, including by another HBCU running back they signed recently in Darius Hagans. His chief competition figures to be Anthony McFarland Jr., however, who has been on the team for three years, though on the practice squad in 2022.
One thing I would like to say in closing is that I think it would be a good thing, both for the Steelers and generally, should a player like Graham end up panning out. It would help to encourage Pittsburgh to continue to dig deeper into the HBCU pool, and the more HBCU players who find NFL success, the more attractive it is for players to attend HBCU schools, knowing that they have a chance of making it. That only increases parity in college football and provides more opportunities and alternatives to those who might not otherwise have it.
