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 OT Devery Hamilton.
Devery Hamilton/OT Duke – 6065, 311 pounds
One of the final two players for our Reserve/Future series, Hamilton will be one of the least talked about players when the team reports to training camp. But everyone on this roster has a story worth telling. German born, he moved to the states with family, settling in Maryland in 2007.
Academically, there might not be anyone with a more impressive resume than Hamilton. A four-star recruit with offers from every corner of the country, he initially committed to Michigan before flipping to Stanford. He spent four seasons there, starting 10 games at a mix of tackle and guard before suffering a season-ending ankle injury four games into his 2019 season.
He transferred closer to home to Duke in 2020, attending and graduating from their business school. Part of the 2021 class, he came in shorter than his listed 6-9 with borderline length to play tackle at 33- inch arms. Hamilton showed explosiveness with a 33.5-inch vertical and 9’4″ broad jump at his Pro Day though his other numbers were middling to poor.
Undrafted, he signed with the Las Vegas Raiders and spent the summer with them. After briefly spending time on their practice squad, the New York Giants scooped him up to theirs in mid-October. He enjoyed a solid summer in 2022 and made the Giants’ roster and appeared in nine games that year, logging 39 snaps on offense. New York carried him into 2023 before he suffered a lower left leg injury and was waived/injured, landing on IR before being released outright with an injury settlement. Pittsburgh signed him to a Futures deal in January.
Listed as a tackle, his versatility offers some additional value. With the Giants, he worked at right tackle and as a sixth offensive lineman, a tackle-eligible that may not be used much under Arthur Smith. With Pittsburgh, he probably remains at right tackle and runs third string. There might be some practice squad skill here, especially with expanded rosters. But it’s a crowded room to make another 53-man roster and would take injury or a potential trade of Dan Moore Jr. for Hamilton to have a chance.
