Once the ball is kicked off Thursday night inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Atlanta Falcons, it will be the final proving ground for a number of guys on both teams.
Lots of roster spots and roles are at stake, especially for the Steelers under head coach Mike Tomlin.
Names like Chandon Sullivan, Elijah Riley, Armon Watts, Isaiahh Loudermilk, Miles Boykin, Gunner Olszewski and more will be pushing hard to lock down a 53-man roster spot. So, too, will the members of the rookie draft class for the Black and Gold.
While all are expected to make the roster, at least at this point, there are plenty of things to watch amongst each of the six draft picks.
Here’s one thing I’m watching for with each member of the Steelers’ rookie draft class in the final tuneup before the regular season Thursday night in Atlanta.
OT BRODERICK JONES — IMPROVEMENT IN PASS PROTECTION
It’s been an up and down training camp and preseason for Broderick Jones, at least from a pass protection standpoint.
Coming out of Georgia, Jones was considered rather raw overall as a pass protector, and that’s played out in the preseason. In 94 snaps against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Buffalo Bills combined, Jones has had to pass protect on 46 reps. In those 46 reps, Jones has allowed three pressures and one sack, grading out at a 69.0 overall in pass protection.
That’s not bad overall, but last Saturday at Acrisure Stadium against the Buffalo Bills, Jones had a rough go of things. He allowed the sack to defensive end Kingsley Johnathan and was also called for a penalty in the win.
He’s not going to push Dan Moore Jr. for the starting job at left tackle at this point, at least early in the season, but after a rough showing against the Bills, Jones needs to show the ability to bounce back and perform well against Atlanta in pass protection especially.
CB JOEY PORTER JR. — OPEN-FIELD TACKLING IN RUN SUPPORT
After recording his first interception last Saturday against the Bills and then handing the ball to his father, Joey Porter Sr. in the stands, things are looking up for Joey Porter Jr. from a coverage perspective for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
He had tight press coverage against Buffalo’s Stefon Diggs early in the game even though the pass was completed, and later played the route perfectly on his interception in Cover 2, disrupting the receiver off of his route and getting back to cover the hole shot from Matt Barkley for the easy interception.
Where he hasn’t really been tested yet is in the open field in run support, something he should see quite a few times against the Falcons. Atlanta is a power run team with standout rookie running back Bijan Robinson and second-year thumper Tyler Allgeier.
Porter Jr. struggled in some open-field tackling drills in training camp and hasn’t quite had the chance to redeem himself in a game setting. Hopefully that happens Thursday night and Porter shows who he was in college in that area of the game: a physical corner that was a sound tackler overall.
DL KEEANU BENTON — HEALTH
It remains up in the air if rookie second-round pick Keeanu Benton suits up for the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday night in the preseason finale, but if he does, just make it through the game healthy and use the following 17 days to get right for the regular season.
Benton was terrific in his NFL debut against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the preseason opener August 11 on the road. He was nearly unblockable in the middle of the Steelers defense and gave Tampa Bay serious issues with his overall power and explosiveness. He flashed as a pass rusher and his get-off at the snap allowed him to penetrate and make plays at or behind the line of scrimmage against the Buccaneers.
He left that preseason game early with an ankle injury though, then missed a practice in training camp before returning in a limited fashion. Benton sat out the matchup against the Bills last Saturday, which raised concerns about his health. Thursday marks the final opportunity for Benton to get right before the regular season and get some NFL snaps under his belt again before a big jump into the regular season against the San Francisco 49ers.
TE DARNELL WASHINGTON — GET GOING IN THE PASSING GAME
At lot of attention has been paid to rookie tight end Darnell Washington from a blocker standpoint in his first two appearances with the Steelers. He remains that big, physical force at the line of scrimmage in the run game and has handled himself well.
As a receiver though, Washington hasn’t had the type of production — so far — many have been looking for. Through two preseason games, Washington has just two receptions for 15 yards. That certainly isn’t going to get anyone excited. However, he did draw two pass interference penalties in the end zone late in the first half that helped lead to Pittsburgh’s third touchdown of the game.
Returning “home” in a sense to Georgia’s home away from home in Atlanta, site of the SEC Championship Game, I want to see Washington get going as a pass-catching weapon, making some plays above the rim over the middle and in the end zone. The potential is there. Let’s see him be a bit of an emphasis in the passing game.
OLB NICK HERBIG — I’VE SEEN ENOUGH
This might be viewed as a bit of a cop-out, but through two preseason games rookie fourth-round pick Nick Herbig absolutely looks the part of a legitimate outside linebacker in the NFL.
He’s shown a number of advanced pass rush moves and tremendous bend and flexibility turning the corner. His speed off the ball is eye-opening too, which has allowed him to knife into the backfield to make plays against the run. He showed the ability to hold up when teams run right at him, too, which was a major concern for me.
At this point, I wouldn’t play Herbig more than 15 snaps on Thursday night. Let him get some run in, work on a few pass rush moves, get some work against the run and then put him on ice. He’s going to be a key rotational piece for the Steelers. Nothing left to prove right now, in my opinion.
OL SPENCER ANDERSON — CONTINUED VERSATILITY
At this point in the preseason, Anderson has played all but left tackle for the Steelers, which is pretty darn impressive for a seventh-round pick.
Of course, he played all five positions along the offensive line in college at Maryland, but it’s another thing to do it in the NFL as a rookie in your first training camp and preseason. Against the Bills, Anderson played left guard, center, right guard and right tackle, performing rather well overall in that game.
In the preseason, Anderson has played 68 total snaps, third-most of any offensive lineman for the Steelers behind Jones and third-year pro Kendrick Green. In those 68 total snaps, Anderson has graded out at a 60.1 overall, including an impressive 82.4 overall in pass protection. His versatility is making him a near lock for the roster, at least in my eyes. His play has been solid, too.
A lot to like with Anderson, but let’s see him in some extended looks at positions like left tackle and center on Thursday night, if possible.
