With Troy Fautanu, Zach Frazier, Roman Wilson, and Mason McCormick, the Pittsburgh Steelers went heavy on offense in the draft. They used four of their top five picks on offensive players, but how many of them will contribute as rookies? Last year’s class played quite a bit, and this year has the potential for the same. But they have to prove it starting in training camp, and Brian Batko offered the rookies he will be watching most.
“I think Troy Fautanu is gonna have the most pressure on him because of being in a position battle, and just the inherent eyes on you that comes with being the first-rounder”, he said on 93.7 The Fan about which Steelers rookies he will pay attention to most in training camp. “But for me, I’d probably go Roman Wilson”.
The Steelers drafted T Troy Fautanu in the first round, and he is vying for the right tackle position. They selected WR Roman Wilson in the third round, who is also poised to compete for playing time.
If Fautanu doesn’t start, the Steelers still have Dan Moore Jr., who is a three-year starter in Pittsburgh. For Roman Wilson, however, they traded Diontae Johnson at wide receiver, so there is a hole. They tried to fill it with bargain-bin veterans like Van Jefferson and Scotty Miller, but they need a long-term answer.
I don’t know if Wilson is that answer, but he is the only one who hasn’t had a shot yet. He didn’t wow Steelers coaches in the spring, it seems, but training camp is a different story. He will have ample opportunity to impress at that time.
“People watching in the stands at Saint Vincent College, or even us media on the sideline, it’s not like we’re sitting there filming. It’s difficult to really gauge how Troy Fautanu or Zach Frazher are playing snap in and snap out”, Batko said about the Steelers’ training camp practices. “That’s why I’ll be all eyes on Roman Wilson even more so than the other rookies. He’s also the guy that you can argue they need to step up most in Year 1”.
Outside of George Pickens, the Steelers don’t have much at wide receiver, not in the way of proven commodities. Calvin Austin III is the “leader” of the room, which says a lot in and of itself. Under those circumstances, Wilson should have a leg up to climb the depth chart.
As for Fautanu, he is playing on the opposite side he played for most of his college career. He seems to be working through his growing pains, but playing in pads is the next step. And the Steelers have one of the most physical training camps in the NFL, so he has to prepare for that.
Of course, Fautanu and Wilson aren’t the only Steelers rookies who bear watching. Zach Frazier, the second-round pick, is competing to start at center, and is likely the favorite. Fellow third-round pick Payton Wilson sounds like he’ll have a defensive role as well.
