One of the big standouts from the third day of training camp was rookie WR Roman Wilson. He has a tall task ahead of him as one of many wide receivers vying for a prominent role in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offense. Outside of George Pickens the second and third receiver roles are there for the taking.
Mike Tomlin has a track record of bringing rookies along slowly, but the opposite has been true with wide receivers over the years. Juju Smith-Schuster was a second-round pick in 2017, and started Week 1 his rookie season. Chase Claypool was a second-round pick in 2020 and got plenty of playing time as a rookie.
So it should be no surprise if third-round rookie Roman Wilson ends up playing a significant amount in 2024. Maybe even right from the beginning of the season.
“That boy a dog,” Calvin Austin III said after Wilson’s standout practice in a clip posted by Amanda Godsey on X. “I said that back in OTAs. He’s very competitive. He’s asking the right questions. He’s pushing himself out there on the field. He’s going to be a big addition to our offense.”
Wilson credited Austin after one of the spring practices for being a leader of the WR room.
“He’s just a great guy, great teammate. I feel like I can talk to him. I feel like I can ask him questions. He asks me questions, and I just feel like he’s a great dude,” Wilson said in a video posted by Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on YouTube.
Austin’s words about Wilson show the kind of leader he is. On paper, they are competing for the same role. Austin has primarily been playing in the slot through the first three days of training camp, and Wilson was a slot player at Michigan. Arthur Smith’s offense uses 11 personnel and slot receivers less than most offenses in the NFL, so the usage might already be a little sparse. Yet here Austin is, praising the rookie.
There’s a lot to like about Wilson. He ran a 4.39-second 40-yard dash at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine. He was also the leading receiver for Michigan’s national championship team. What will endear him to the city of Pittsburgh more than anything is his mentality as a blocker. Their saying was “no block, no rock” at Michigan, so he comes with the mindset of having to earn his keep on the offense by giving a full effort in the run game.
I am excited to see all of that in action once the pads come on this Tuesday and the competitions really start to heat up.
