There is a YouTube video of Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin talking to what looks like a group of young people, and he tells them this: “Hear me, hear me. It’s not what you’re capable of, it’s what you’re willing to do. I know plenty of people that are capable. I know fewer who are willing. Will is a powerful thing.”
Perhaps no current Steeler exemplifies this Tomlin core value more than WR Miles Boykin.
If you pay close attention to a game, you will see that Boykin’s approach to the question of “What are you willing to do?” is quite simply “Anything and everything.” Indeed, if you want to teach young people the kind of mentality and approach all coaches love from their players, make them watch a Steelers game and take notes on No. 13 in Black and Gold.
They will see a guy doing all the little things, the “dirty work” that doesn’t show up on highlight reels, stat sheets, or fantasy football sites. They will see Boykin sprinting down the field as a gunner on the punt team looking to down a punt inside the 10-yard line. They will see him on the kickoff team sprinting downfield to make a tackle. If Jaylen Warren or Najee Harris breaks a run into the secondary, they may see No. 13 blocking a defensive back downfield.
All things that help a team win. Also, all things that get very little notice outside of the locker room.
No young person signs up to play football and tries out at the wide receiver position with the intention of being the best blocker or the best third guy from the kicker on the kickoff team. No, they dream of making big touchdown catches to win games in the fourth quarter. They daydream about making highlight-reel catches that get played over and over on ESPN.
I’d venture to say that Boykin had the same visions dancing through his head as a star receiver at Notre Dame from 2015-2018. He led the Irish in 2018 with 54 catches for 803 yards and eight touchdowns. Then he went and showed out at the NFL Scouting Combine with a 43.5-inch vertical jump and a 140-inch broad jump, which were some of the best efforts ever at the time.
He was drafted in the third round at pick No. 93 by the Baltimore Ravens in 2019, but things didn’t go as planned. The young receiver didn’t find stardom in the NFL. Boykin’s career failed to gain much traction with the Ravens, and on April 18, 2022, they released him.
One day later, however, fate would throw Boykin a lifeline when the Steelers signed him.
It can’t be an easy transition going from 2014 Illinois High School Player of the Year to star receiver at one of the highest-profile college football programs to NFL third-round draft pick, and then having to humble yourself enough to reinvent yourself.
But that’s what Boykin has done.
He has carved out a valuable niche for himself with the Steelers. He is regarded as one of the best special teams players in the league. So much so that when it was time to sign a new contract in April 2023, he had drawn interest from other teams. But Boykin felt comfortable in Pittsburgh and decided to sign a new deal and stay.
And I guarantee that Tomlin and Boykin’s teammates are glad he did. Every great team has a guy or guys like him. Guys who selflessly put the team first and sacrifice their own glory for the greater good.
As Tomlin alluded to in his speech, not many men are willing. But thankfully for the Steelers, Mile Boykin has done just that. So keep an eye out on gameday for No. 13. He’s the type of player who is easy to root for and deserves to be acknowledged. I guarantee his coaches and teammates are well aware of his worth.
