Among the 20 undrafted tryout players at rookie minicamp this year, five of them are either from Pittsburgh or have ties to the city from college. Former Penn Hills QB Hollis Mathis is among them, and he’s thrilled to be trying out for his hometown team.
“I learned that this business is fun. I learned that this organization is pretty much what it looks like from the outside. It’s a great organization,” Mathis told TribLive’s Chris Adamski in a video on X. “A lot of very smart people teaching a great game. I’m just blessed and honored to even be around. So I’m just happy to get better every day and trying to learn.”
Along with having Pittsburgh ties, Mathis went to William & Mary, Mike Tomlin’s alma mater. He was an offensive weapon that played quarterback, running back and wide receiver over his six-year career in college. They even had him returning a few punts in 2023.
The Steelers listed him as a WR on their official rookie minicamp roster. He was a quarterback in high school, and initially was a quarterback in college, but shifted into more of the offensive weapon role as he progressed through his collegiate career.
The 6-2, 175-pound WR had 85 total receptions for 985 yards and five TDs at William & Mary. He also had 262 carries for 1,096 yards and 10 TDs on the ground and 126 completions for 1,722 yards and 10 TDs through the air.
At Penn Hills, he was a quarterback all four years and set school records for passing yards and TD passes on his way to being a two-time first-team All-State selection. He was a two-star recruit coming out of high school.
The Steelers only have 88 players on the roster at the moment, and that includes international pathways program player Julius Welschof, who doesn’t count against the 90-man roster during the offseason. That leaves them with three spots on the offseason roster.
One or two of those spots are likely to be filled with tryout players from rookie minicamp with one earmarked for Aaron Rodgers or whoever they end up signing at quarterback. Even if a player like Mathis doesn’t make the roster, the Steelers have a tendency of circling back to tryout players for practice squad or offseason roster spots later down the line.
