The Pittsburgh Steelers wrapped up minicamp last week, and as you might expect, everyone seems to be doing well. It’s hard not to look good in shorts and running around as an athlete unless you’re badly out of shape. This year, in fact, many Steelers players who previously had issues with their conditioning have worked on that considerably.
They didn’t quite make Mark Kaboly’s informal and impromptu abbreviated list of standout Steelers from minicamp, though. Asked during a hit on 93.7 The Fan, he provided some of the players who stuck out to him. They are all names we’ve talked about to some extent, so no surprises, but here they are.
“[Roman Wilson], he and Calvin Austin [III] were really good”, he said, highlighting the young receivers as highlights during the Steelers’ minicamp. “I like Mason McCormick. I thought he just looked a little different, felt more comfortable. Broderick [Jones], I think he’s still getting used to it. I think he needs more time. But I think he’s more comfortable. At least it feels like, it looks like he’s more comfortable”.
During another spot, he offered some other names from Steelers minicamp that stood out. He mentioned, for example, DL Logan Lee and RB Evan Hull, referencing S Juan Thornhill yet again. Max Hurleman, who Kaboly noted was working with wide receivers, also stood out.
One name Kaboly didn’t happen to mention in these particular segments was Darnell Washington’s, though he has recently. During OTAs, for example, he said Washington looked “very good”. I’m sure he could have easily put him on his Steelers winners list for minicamp in a more formal setting. When you’re speaking live on air and off the cuff, it’s easier to overlook things.
Of course, with OTAs and minicamp over, it doesn’t really matter which Steelers stood out. What matters is what these guys do in training camp and the preseason, and then in the games that actually matter. Sure, it’s exciting in May to talk about a slimmed-down, quicker Darnell Washington. That Broderick Jones is in the best shape of his career is nice, and hearing Calvin Austin III performing like a No 2, also lovely.
But until they do things and show these traits in-game, it’s all just talk. It’s not unreasonable to expect improvement based on what we have heard out of Steelers OTAs, but will it translate? That’s a big question, and one we won’t have an answer to for a while. What we do know is the Steelers need somebody to play like the No. 2 WR. They need a franchise left tackle, and another weapon in the passing game. But it’s never the case that all of the June hype lives up to the talk come September.
