Breaking Down the Steelers Rookie Minicamp Roster | SNR Drive | Pittsburgh Steelers

0:00 I want to get into some uh rookie mini camp is this weekend for the Steelers

0:03 and we now know what the uh roster the invitees are for that rookie mini camp.

0:08 Let's dig into some of those names both familiar and otherwise when we

0:12 return Matt Williamson it's the drive Steelers

0:15 Nation radio on the Steelers audio network.

0:29 Don't look now, but there's some football

0:31 coming to the south side of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

0:33 Yeah, how about that?

0:34 Rookie mini camp on the horizon.

0:36 And again, I call this nursery school, basically.

0:38 It's a great way to put it.

0:39 It's like uh orientation almost, right?

0:42 This is where the library is.

0:44 This is where the, you know, the cafe.

0:45 This is where you park.

0:47 This is where you get your playbook.

0:48 Uh and with that, Matt, a let's see, 12+ 12 is 24 plus 16 is 40.

0:56 40 guys on the Steelers 2026 rookie mini camp roster.

1:00 12 vets.

1:01 Cam Hayward's not going to be there, folks.

1:03 Correct.

1:03 Correct.

1:04 But a couple familiar names will be okay.

1:06 12 vets, 16 rookies, the 10 draft picks, plus the six UDFA guys.

1:12 Okay.

1:11 And then 12 tryyout players,

1:14 which is an interesting concept, too.

1:16 Once in a while, those guys make enough to get the camp.

1:18 They do.

1:19 They sure do.

1:20 The vets, some new names, some familiar names.

1:23 Um, and I'll do my best to run

1:24 through these and not butcher anybody's last name.

1:27 Our apologies ahead.

1:28 Dono Slaughter, defensive back from Arkansas.

1:32 One year in the league so far.

1:35 JJ,

1:34 I don't remember him being a camp.

1:36 I don't either.

1:36 JJ Greath, a name that we remember.

1:38 Yeah.

1:38 Yeah.

1:39 Tight end.

1:40 Did some good things last year in training camp out of South Dakota.

1:43 Uh, heading into his uh second year in the NFL.

1:46 Spot someone could make a little noise.

1:48 Yeah.

1:49 if and I'm sure we'll probably do this before training camp,

1:51 but like guys that you know could quote come out of nowhere,

1:55 you know, he's he would be one of them.

1:56 Jaylen Warren, he would be one of them.

1:57 Jack Henderson, uh safety from Minnesota,

2:03 who uh is entering his second year in the league as well.

2:06 Kyler B, a name that that we've we've talked about a little bit before,

2:09 defensive tackle, entering his third year out of Minnesota.

2:13 Uh Javari Ritzy, secondyear defensive end out of North Carolina.

2:19 Lorenzo Thompson, secondyear offensive lineman out of Rhode Island.

2:25 Doug Nester, who Steelers fans will remember.

2:27 Uh he was with the he back and forth

2:30 on the Steelers practice squad over the last couple years.

2:32 Of course, he is a world champion

2:33 West Virginia mountaineer entering his third year, still just 25 years old.

2:38 Uh Aiden Williams, guard from Minnesota, DUTH, entering his second year.

2:42 Uh Stephven Jones, he was an offensive lineman

2:45 that was big in our conversations at camp last year.

2:47 I thought he could maybe even make the team

2:50 last year.

2:50 He was one of those guys we thought had a shot.

2:52 He's entering his third year.

2:54 Uh he played college football at Oregon.

2:56 Another name, Matt, that we're excited and to see back.

3:00 Max Hurleman, wide receiver out of Notre Dame.

3:02 Remember him from camp last year.

3:03 He was kind of Eli Heiden before Eli.

3:06 Him and Heinrich might have some two dog one bone going on there out in Latrobe.

3:11 Uh but there were things I like about him too.

3:13 He's a fill in the gaps guy.

3:14 He made some real plays.

3:16 And then two other wide receivers, uh Cole Burgess,

3:18 thirdyear guy out of Courtland State,

3:21 and Brandon Smith, fourthyear guy out of Iowa.

3:25 Okay, more Hawkeyes on the roster, baby.

3:27 Had a lot of Iowa representations the last couple years.

3:29 So those are the 12 vets.

3:31 Matt, I don't think I need to name all

3:32 the rookie draft picks because we've gone over them so much.

3:35 And we discussed the six UDFAs that are going to be in

3:38 Can you just rapid fire them?

3:40 I'm sure some people are like, "Who are they talking?" Yes.

3:42 If you don't have them, no, I got them.

3:43 I got them right here.

3:44 Uh, Laith Margin, kicker from Kansas.

3:48 Devin Boyin, corner from national champion Indiana.

3:52 Uh, Dylan Carell, linebacker from Missou.

3:56 Lake Mcrae, tight end from USC.

4:00 Shaman Mateer, I believe is how he pronounces his last name.

4:03 Tight end from Arizona State.

4:05 Interesting.

4:06 They have three tight ends here in this camp.

4:08 And Kevin Jabidi Jr.

4:11 from Syracuse defensive linemen.

4:13 Those are the six UDF.

4:15 Good athlete.

4:16 And then try out players.

4:17 Matt, two things that stand out.

4:18 Stop you super quick.

4:19 One thing I would throw at you.

4:22 There's not going to be 10 offensive linemen.

4:25 You know, like you're not going to be able to run 11 ons guys.

4:28 You know what I mean?

4:28 like some positions are there's not an I

4:31 mean there's going to be what one quarterback you know like yes

4:36 this is not a typical football practice

4:38 that's one thing that stands out to me before we get into the tryyout

4:41 players that stands out to me about

4:42 this there's one quarterback amongst these 40 guys Drew Allen

4:45 Drew Allard yeah here you go young man have here's

4:48 your workload you're going to be getting a lot of reps

4:50 kicker but I don't think there'll be a punter

4:52 there won't be a long snapper I don't know if there'll be five offensive linemen

4:56 it's funny you say that because there's

4:57 three punters amongst the try out players.

4:59 Really?

5:00 Okay.

5:00 I guess because one of those guys is going

5:02 to need to go to camp with with Cam Johnston.

5:06 Um so the 12 try out

5:07 something to hang in front of those guys.

5:09 There certainly is.

5:10 Uh 12 try out players.

5:11 Few of them are pit guys, few of them are punters.

5:14 There's another local uh guy in here as well too.

5:17 Uh David Bale, punter out of Arkansas.

5:20 Rashad Battle, defensive back from Pit.

5:23 Raquel Williams, wide receiver from Pit.

5:25 Ryan Stonehouse, punter from Colorado State.

5:28 Joseph Zalinsky, linebacker from Pit.

5:31 Gabriel Nosu, punter from Penn State.

5:35 Alex Tekka, running back from Navy and Mount Lebo.

5:40 Yep.

5:41 Two-time former teammate with Eli Hidenrike.

5:44 Terrell,

5:44 state champion.

5:45 State champion.

5:46 Terrell Timman, linebacker from Texas Tech.

5:48 Brandon George, linebacker from Pit.

5:51 Jacob Bob and Meyer, uh, long snapper from Northern Colorado.

5:56 So, I guess they will run special team stuff.

5:59 Gregory Krippen, center from Michigan, and Jamari Butler, linebacker from LSU.

6:06 Okay.

6:06 So, I've never been at one of these for the Steelers.

6:09 I haven't either.

6:09 I I assume maybe like the only thing

6:11 that we haven't covered in our extensive history.

6:13 And I bet that there's not much reason to be there,

6:15 but it is interesting the names and two or three of them that we've

6:20 never heard of will start showing up in training camp and in the preseason.

6:25 Yes,

6:25 they'll start showing up.

6:26 And some of those few names that I mentioned in the veteran,

6:29 the the JJ Greath, the Max Harlem, the Steven Jones, I got to imagine we'll be

6:33 talking a lot more about those guys at training camp.

6:36 Yeah, exactly.

6:36 Now, I was sitting here thinking like you would

6:39 hope like a Hanichore and Bernard just destroy these dudes,

6:45 which they probably will, but if you can't beat the stiffs, you are a

6:50 Right.

6:50 Right.

6:51 You know that the the draft picks,

6:54 you would hope like my wife who doesn't know what a first

6:56 down is could walk down and be like, I'll take that one.

7:00 Ivan guy looks a little different.

7:01 Maybe that's a draft pick.

7:02 But they also don't think that they're going to do,

7:05 you know, backs on backers and stuff like that either.

7:08 You know, I mean, the the degree of what they ask of them isn't

7:11 going to be just destroy this undrafted defensive tackle in front of you, Max.

7:15 I I don't think that's how this works.

7:17 Exactly.

7:18 Right.

7:18 Uh, one last note, one of those punters that I mentioned, Ryan Stonehouse.

7:22 See, I knew that name.

7:24 Four-year NFL vet.

7:25 He was a allpro in 2022 with the Titans.

7:28 So, he's got some pedigree in his career.

7:29 That might Hey, one of those guys will end up getting a camp.

7:33 One of those guys will get invited to campus in July.

7:35 Yes.

7:36 To go to Latroe and be the leader in the clubhouse.

7:38 He might have he might be the pole position guy right now,

7:41 unless he had some injury between.

7:43 I think that's I think that's what happened.

7:44 But uh 2022, which is not recently, but it it he was an all.

7:49 He's been in the league.

7:50 He's gotten real checks.

7:51 He was an allp pro not too long ago.

7:53 I mean 2022, but why not bring him in?

7:56 and why not why not bring him in and and see uh you know what what he's got.

8:01 He um has the NFL single season record in 2022 for average yards per punt.

8:07 Really?

8:08 Okay.

8:08 Still just 20 uh 26 years old.

8:10 Yeah.

8:11 Maybe you have something there.

8:12 So I knew I don't know why I knew that name.

8:14 Yeah.

8:15 2023 uh he had a torn ACL, MCL, and broken bone in his non-kicking leg.

8:21 That doesn't sound great.

8:22 That doesn't sound great.

8:23 All right.

8:24 Um he did punt for the Colts last season.

8:26 73 punts for a over 50 yard average.

8:30 Uh and was a alternate for last year's Pro Bowl.

8:33 Oh, okay.

8:34 Interesting.

8:34 He's not like the others.

8:35 He is not like the He is not like the others.

8:38 I bet he's coming in here saying saying

8:40 I'm going to get in a training camp somewhere.

8:42 I bet you so.

8:43 And so he seems like a real one to to keep an eye on.

8:46 And I I would almost be surprised at this point if he's not in Latro.

8:50 If he's not in Latro.

8:51 Yeah.

8:51 Yeah.