Last year, the Pittsburgh Steelers found a gem in camp darling RB Jaylen Warren, who went from undrafted free agent to having a significant role throughout the season. With the #3 RB spot wide open this year, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette‘s Gerry Dulac believes rookie Alfonzo Graham could follow the same path as Warren.
In his weekly chat, Dulac was asked who will be the Steelers’ third-string RB this year.
“Alfonzo Graham, undrafted free agent from Morgan State. He got invited to OTAs from rookie minicamp tryout. He looks like last year’s Jaylen Warren.”
As Dulac notes, Graham was invited to rookie minicamp on a tryout basis. He had a long and winding college career that saw him play in Arizona, Kansas, and California before coming back home to the Baltimore area and Morgan State. As a senior, he rushed for over 1,100 yards and eight touchdowns.
Invited to the HBCU Combine which Steelers’ GM Omar Khan attended, Graham bettered his numbers at his Pro Day. There, he ran a 4.56 40 with a 35-inch vertical, 9’10” broad, and 7.29 three-cone. Not outstanding times for his smaller frame, 5087, 185 pounds, but he played faster on tape.
In our scouting report on Graham, Josh Carney wrote:
“Graham is an intriguing package of speed, vision and contact balance for the running back position. His one year of production at Morgan State was impressive as he led the MEAC in rushing in 2022 while sharing some time with another running back early in the season.”
He was one of 33 players invited to the team’s rookie minicamp on a tryout basis and the only one to be signed directly out of rookie minicamp (rookie LB Troy Nduwke was signed days later). Whatever Graham did was enough to impress the Steelers coaches.
We spoke with Graham shortly after he signed and he said following all the coaches’ instructions, including finishing his runs, helped him get signed. His special teams value is also interesting. He has experience at gunner, and the Steelers’ third-string back typically plays plenty of special teams. Benny Snell Jr. served in that role throughout his career as a four-phase special teamer whose snaps will need to be replaced.
Evidently, Graham wanted to challenge Minkah Fitzpatrick during a 1v1 session of today’s practice. It didn’t end well for Graham but he loved the chance to go up against an All-Pro
(The original tweet has now been deleted)
With Harris and Warren the only locks at the position, the #3 spot is wide open. Of the internal options, Graham could be the favorite. He’ll be battling newly signed RB Darius Hagans, another potential camp sleeper, along with Anthony McFarland Jr. and Jason Huntley.
