As we’ve done in previous years, we’re taking a look at those Pittsburgh Steelers under Futures contracts for the 2024 offseason — the ones who spent most of, if not the entire year, on the practice squad — and what we can expect from them during training camp and (hopefully) into the regular season. Today, an outlook on FB Jack Colletto.
Jack Colletto/FB Oregon State – 6025, 237 pounds
Of all the players who make up the Pittsburgh Steelers Reserve/Future list, there’s no one I’m asked about or reminded of more often than Jack Colletto. The lone true fullback in an Arthur Smith offense that normally uses one, that alone makes Colletto worth keeping an eye on.
Coming out of Oregon State, he wasn’t just a fullback. He was – and is – an athlete. For the Beavers, he played quarterback, linebacker, and fullback. In 2018, he attempted almost 50 passes. Mind you, they weren’t good passes. Colletto completed less than half of them with zero touchdowns and three interceptions, though he found a small slice of redemption completing both his passes in 2022 for 53 yards.
Most of his damage came as a runner, carrying the ball 110 times for 401 yards and four touchdowns. He caught four passes, scoring once more. A defensive role came into view in 2020 and by his senior season, he had notched 27 tackles. In 2021, he picked off his first pass.
Total it up and here’s how his snaps get distributed.
| Position | Total College Snaps |
|---|---|
| Special Teams | 568 |
| Fullback | 227 |
| Quarterback | 220 |
| Defense | 201 |
A pretty even split between fullback, quarterback, and defense (most of which came at linebacker). His special teams experience easily tops the list, an interesting note that could boost his chances to make an NFL roster. Even in Smith’s system, fullbacks and fullbacks alone can’t crack the roster. They have to be a multi-phase special teamer.
His versatility was so pronounced, he won the 2022 Paul Hornung Award, given to the nation’s most versatile player. It’s an award won by Odell Beckham Jr., Christian McCaffrey, Saquon Barkley, and in 2023, Colorado’s Travis Hunter. Strong company.
In the pre-draft process, Colletto didn’t test like a fullback. His numbers were excellent. A 4.85 40 at nearly 240 pounds, a 36.5-inch vertical, 9’10” broad, and 17 reps on the bench press.
A lack of a true position caused him to fall out of the draft. But he landed with the San Francisco 49ers, one of the few teams that use a hybrid fullback. Carried through camp, he didn’t make the 53-man roster and though he was brought back to the practice squad, the 49ers dumped him in early October. Pittsburgh signed him five days later, replacing FB Zander Horvath in a corresponding move. That swap was a sign the Steelers really had an interest, willing to make room on the roster for him instead of adding him because of an injury need or some similar immediate reason.
Colletto spent the rest of his rookie year on the practice squad. And in Matt Canada’s offense, there wasn’t much of a fit. Despite having a decently paid Derek Watt, reps were hard to come by for a fullback. Under Smith, who used Keith Smith in Atlanta and Khari Blasingame in Tennessee, that should change. The Steelers didn’t add any true fullbacks this offseason, though veteran TE MyCole Pruitt has a bit of backfield experience. And Connor Heyward should get reps there with pass-catching ability that meshes well with Smith’s boot-action base. Colletto’s biggest knock is not doing much in the passing game and he isn’t the overall athlete Heyward is as a receiver or fullback. Heyward doesn’t have the varied resume but he’s more fluid and natural.
Still, Colletto is a name to watch. Pittsburgh is a good landing spot and if he can impress on special teams, there’s a path to the roster. That’s how Roosevelt Nix and Will Johnson made it. But he’ll have to prove to offer something Heyward can’t. Heyward can catch and play on special teams. The difference could come down to lead blocking. Colletto is bigger and bulkier. If he can line up in an old-school I-formation and clear the way in August, he might do it the rest of the year.
