Coming up through the high school and collegiate ranks, Pittsburgh Steelers undrafted free agent quarterback John Rhys Plumlee looked up to guys like Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, aiming to model his game after them in some aspects.
Now, he gets to work alongside them.
Though he hasn’t met them or worked with them in the Steelers quarterback room, Plumlee — who spoke to reporters Saturday on Day 2 of rookie minicamp — stated just how excited he was to get that chance moving forward.
“I haven’t got to talk to them yet but looking forward to meeting those guys and learning from ’em and working with ’em,” Plumlee said to reporters, according to video via Aaron Becker on Twitter. “So, I’m super excited, right? There’s some guys that I’ve looked up to coming up playing football, so I’m super excited about the opportunity.”
As a dual-threat quarterback with a baseball background, having played baseball at Ole Miss and UCF on top of his football duties as a quarterback, Plumlee’s style and physical traits are similar, in a sense, to what Wilson and Fields bring to the table.
His chance to get to meet Wilson and Fields will happen soon, once the team returns to the facility for another Organized Team Activities session ahead of on-field workouts May 23-25.
Coming out of UCF, there were questions as to what Plumlee’s fit in the NFL would be, whether that was at quarterback or as a slot receiver. Ultimately, the Steelers viewed him as a quarterback, gave him a franchise-record signing bonus for an UDFA, and added him to a QB room that has added Wilson, Fields and veteran Kyle Allen this offseason, completely reshaping the room.
He has the skill set to handle a quarterback role in the NFL thanks to his strong arm and his running abilities. In two seasons at UCF, he threw for 4,857 yards and 29 touchdowns to 16 interceptions and added another 1,367 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns.
But he came in a bit undersized, and with questions about his true position at the next level, he went undrafted. Plumlee measured in at 5116, 203 pounds, running 4.54, jumping 36.5 inches in the vert, and 10’4″ in the broad. Good testing numbers overall, but the size was concerning.
That worked out well for the Steelers. They got a guy they liked at the quarterback position for relatively cheap, bringing him in as the No. 4 to learn and compete in a deep, experienced QB room. He’s getting his opportunity and will get to work next to and learn from guys he’s looked up to and tried to model his game after in Wilson and Fields.
That’s a heck of an opportunity for Plumlee.
