In just a few hours, members of the rookie draft class for the Pittsburgh Steelers will make their NFL debuts at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, kick-starting what many hope is long, successful careers in the Black and Gold.
Though none of the rookies are expected to “start” Friday night against the Buccaneers, all — with the possible exception of OLB Nick Herbig, who has been nursing a minor hip injury — should see ample playing time in their first game as members of the Steelers. All eyes will be on the rookies, who have had strong training camps to date. Under the bright lights and the big stage of an NFL game is a different animal, though.
Here’s one thing I’m watching for with each member of the Steelers’ rookie draft class in the preseason opener.
OT Broderick Jones — Independent hand usage in pass protection
Coming out of college, Jones was considered a bit raw in pass protection. While it’s well-known that he’s a mauler in the run game who is a great athlete and simply dominates in space, his technique and consistency in pass protection were a concern coming out. Now in Pittsburgh, Jones has had to learn a new technique under offensive line coach Pat Meyer, that being independent hand usage in pass protection.
Jones should get a good test of pass rushers in Tampa Bay Friday night from young outside linebackers in Yaya Diaby, Jose Ramirez, former Steeler Hamilcar Rashed and Charles Snowden in reps against the backups. We’ll see how he fares in his first live NFL action from a pass-protection standpoint.
CB Joey Porter Jr. — Open-field tackling
Porter is having a strong camp overall and has made plays throughout the last few weeks at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe. As a long, lanky cornerback with great physicality to his game, Porter is going to have an impact as a press corner right away in Pittsburgh, starting against the Buccaneers.
I’m watching for his work as a tackler on Friday night though, particularly in the open field. In a recent open-field tackling/Oklahoma drill at training camp, Porter really struggled 1v1 in that drill. Porter was praised for his tackling coming out of Penn State, being a big, long corner who would shoot his hips through opposing ball-carriers and wrap them up with his condor arms, bringing them to the ground. But on Tuesday in training camp, he had a rough go of things in the open-field drill.
We’ll see how he looks in this area of the game against the Buccaneers. Tape from his time at Penn State shows he is good at it, but he needs to show it at the NFL level now.
DL Keeanu Benton — Pass rush pop
Called a ready-made, run-stopping defensive tackle entering the NFL by Steelers defensive coordinator Teryl Austin, Benton has been as advertised in that area of the game throughout training camp. What hasn’t been shown — yet — is his pass rushing chops. He’s had some moments in 1v1 reps, but he hasn’t shown much juice as a pass rusher to date.
Granted, it’s really hard to get a feel for that in training camp. Now though, on the road in his first NFL action, Benton should get some opportunities to get after the passer. While he’ll play nose tackle for Pittsburgh with a chief goal of stopping the run, he has a get-off and hand use to beat blocks and make plays, not just occupy space.
TE Darnell Washington — As advertised as a run blocker
Labeling himself as the sixth offensive lineman coming out of Georgia, Darnell Washington certainly has the size and strength to be an offensive lineman. Good news for the Steelers is that he’s a tight end and is a clear mismatch as a pass-catching weapon, something he’s shown in recent weeks with the pads on.
While he’s undoubtedly going to turn some heads catching the football Friday night, I’ll have my eyes on him as a run blocker. That’s the strength of his game without a doubt, but I really want to see if he is as advertised in that area. On tape at Georgia he dominated in the trenches. The NFL is a different game though, so I want to see Washington have an impact collapsing the side of defense inward as a blocker, opening up rushing lanes.
He does that, the Steelers run game will be in great shape entering the 2023 season.
OLB Nick Herbig — Functional strength as a run defender
Herbig has generated plenty of headlines and attention as a pass rusher so far in training camp. In that perspective, he looks like the real deal as a pass rusher in the NFL. His run defense remains a bit of an unknown though. He’ll get a chance to show his abilities in that area on Friday night.
His size and lack of length at the position is a bit of a concern when it comes to run defense, but Herbig plays with impressive effort as a run defender and can use his lack of size as a tool to maneuver around and through blocks in his pursuit of the ballcarrier. However, that lack of ideal size, mass, and length also can be his greatest liability as a run defender, causing him to struggle at setting the edge against bigger, longer blockers that can neutralize him with a size advantage.
We’ll see how he holds up as a run defender against the Buccaneers, who are likely to try and run right at him when given the opportunity.
OL Spencer Anderson — Snap count and usage
The Maryland product is arguably the most versatile offensive lineman that the Steelers have on the roster. He’s already seen snaps at right tackle, left guard and right guard in training camp and looks like the ideal Swiss Army knife as a depth piece in the trenches.
Where he plays on Friday night — and for how long — will be rather telling when it comes to Anderson and the outlook on his future in Pittsburgh. He played all five positions for the Terrapins and handled himself well in all instances. He might not be the most physical guy in the trenches for Pittsburgh, but he’s a great athlete overall and should get the chance to move all over Friday night and give different looks. That will be quite entertaining to watch, especially late in the preseason opener.
