Pittsburgh Steelers: Rookie Training Camp Progress Report
After an entire offseason program, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2015 rookie class finally had a chance to put on the pads and show what it can do in a professional game.
The annual NFL Hall of Fame Game represented the culmination of months of preparation—including two grueling weeks of training camps at Saint Vincent College. While the rookies had plenty of time to shine in practice, nothing can simulate game speed like the live action of a preseason game.
There are high expectations for Pittsburgh’s eight-man draft class, but even for a team willing to insert youth into the lineup, the Steelers are taking a methodical approach with their rookies.
Unlike last year, none are in the starting lineup, and it doesn’t look like any will threaten to win a starting role. Instead, several of these players are competing for playing time, while the others are just looking to make the final roster.
There are still three weeks until the first cut date on Sept. 1, but the evaluation process of this year’s rookie class is ongoing. How has it looked through the first preseason game? Here is an updated look at the Steelers’ rookie progress report.
OLB Bud Dupree
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There are times when it clicks for a first-round draft pick, and he is a star from the onset of training camp. Other times, the rookie experiences growing pains and needs time to develop.
Pittsburgh’s top choice, Bud Dupree, falls into the latter category.
Playing left outside linebacker with the second-team defense throughout training camp, Dupree has flashed a quick first step and is slowly developing his moves as a pass-rusher. However, he still must refine his skills and improve his ability to play against the run.
Dupree had his first chance to demonstrate his athleticism in the preseason opener this past weekend, but came away rather unimpressive. Though he didn’t play poorly, he didn’t do much to impress either, and analysts from around the league took notice.
"Pittsburgh will need more from Bud Dupree, who to registered 0 total pressures on 17 pass rushing snaps on Sunday. pic.twitter.com/KtLpZaX95d
— Pro Football Focus (@PFF) August 11, 2015 "
"#Steelers LB Bud Dupree looks sluggish and slow. Guess it could be camp legs...want to see his athleticism jump off the screen.
— Louis Riddick (@LRiddickESPN) August 10, 2015 "
Not only did Dupree offer little rushing the quarterback, but he did not set the edge against the run and had trouble shedding blocks. Then again, it was only a small sample size, and he has plenty of time to learn from a reserve role.
Dupree is the future at outside linebacker, but the Steelers will bring him along slowly and allow veteran Arthur Moats to keep the seat warm until Pittsburgh’s first selection in 2015 is ready to contribute.
CB Senquez Golson
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One of the most anticipated rookies does not look like he will get a chance to show the coaching staff what he is made of this year.
Second-round pick Senquez Golson may require season-ending shoulder surgery, according to Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Golson was expected to compete for the nickel job and at the very least had a chance to play as the No. 4 cornerback. With him out of the lineup, the Steelers made an aggressive move and traded for Brandon Boykin.
While this provides the Steelers with an immediate upgrade to their defensive backfield, it is an unfortunate setback for Golson, who will lose a year of his career before he even sets foot on the playing field.
WR Sammie Coates
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Sammie Coates is quite possibly the most physically imposing wide receiver in training camp—yes, even more so than Martavis Bryant.
Coates is tall with a thick build (6'1", 212 lbs), yet he has the speed (4.43 40-yard dash) and quickness to match. He looks the part of an NFL receiver, and he has every athletic trait that a team could look for. But he has actually had a relatively quiet training camp.
Unlike Bryant, who was a star last year with his highlight-reel catches on deep balls and dominance in the red zone, Coates hasn’t stood out in any particular area. He doesn’t dominate the red zone, and he hasn’t been able to demonstrate his deep speed.
Instead, he made the most of his limited opportunities and did enough to earn a spot in the starting lineup against the Minnesota Vikings this past weekend—albeit in a game, in which many veterans sat out. However, while he has done his job, head coach Mike Tomlin is keeping everything in perspective.
In a press conference ahead of the Hall of Fame Game, Tomlin was noncommittal in terms of Coates’ role as the Steelers progress toward the regular season, per Rana L. Cash of Sporting News:
"He's working hard and improving every day. In that way, he's very typical, but I try to come in without any preconceived notions. I don't want to put him in a box. Maybe he advances in his growth and development faster than some recent ones. Maybe he doesn't. The big thing is he comes every day with the attitude geared to working and improving.
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Coates only caught one pass for 12 yards in his preseason debut but also drew a pass-interference call against Vikings first-round selection Trae Waynes. However, he also had some miscommunication with Landry Jones and dropped a potential touchdown—though it would have been a difficult catch.
Although Coates is a lock to make the team, he still needs to develop before becoming a role player for the offense. Expect the Steelers to take their time with him as they did with Bryant last year.
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CB Doran Grant
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One of the highlights of training camp this year was a 100-yard interception return for a touchdown by rookie cornerback Doran Grant. Pittsburgh’s defense lacked this type of play over the past few seasons, and it came from a first-year player.
Grant was one of three defensive backs with ball skills the Steelers drafted this year with the hope to find additional playmakers for the defense. Though he is still a year or two away from becoming a key contributor, Grant has shown promise through the first preseason game.
Jim Wexell of SteelCityInsider.net praised Grant for his “quick burst to the ball, his strength, the Cover 2 skills” and learned that Grant is looking to contribute any way that he can:
"That's why we're here,” Grant said. “They picked me up for a reason and so I'm going to try to give them what they picked me up for."
Grant will have a tough time getting in snaps with the defense with William Gay, Cortez Allen, Brandon Boykin and Antwon Blake running ahead of him. Instead, he will have to look to special teams to make his mark.
“I would love to be on special teams,” Grant told Chris Adamski of the Pittsburgh-Tribune Review. “Those are very impactful plays in a game. ... It's a very important part of the game, especially at this level. It's very crucial, field position. I like to think I'm a great worker, so I don't mind special teams at all. If you can make your special teams better, that's just a way of helping your team even more.”
As we saw in the preseason opener, the Steelers had some issues with their coverage units, so they'll welcome any additional help. This is where Grant will have his chance to make an impact as a rookie.
TE Jesse James
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Jesse James could not have asked for a worse professional debut.
Not only did he drop an easy touchdown pass when he turned his head to run before he caught the ball, but he dropped a second pass, which resulted in an interception.
At this point, James would have liked to go unnoticed. Instead, Mike Tomlin was asked about James’ performance in his postgame press conference, per Mike Prisuta of Steelers.com:
“Knuckle up,” Tomlin said. “This is Sunday ball. This is not Saturday ball.”
Those weren’t his only gaffes either. James struggled on special teams and was called for a holding penalty. However, the dropped touchdown is what stands out, and it's something that he acknowledged after the game, per Jacob Klinger of PennLive.com:
"Obviously I didn't make the play today and I'll get back to it next week," James said.
James isn’t a fluid route-runner or a powerful blocker, and his hands have been questionable, especially when compared to the dependable Heath Miller. Given his limitations, James should not expect to see many snaps at this point of the year.
James has a long way to go before he becomes a viable No. 2 option and still must compete for the third spot on the depth chart.
DL L.T. Walton
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One bad play during the season and a player is bombarded with unwanted attention. However, unwanted attention is still better than no attention because now people are watching you.
Through numerous practices and one preseason game, L.T. Walton has gone relatively unnoticed:
"Finally, Gerod Holliman, Anthony Chickillo, Leterrius Walton didn't shine much while I was at #Steelers camp. Still optimistic for rookies
— Eric Galko (@OptimumScouting) August 9, 2015
"
That doesn’t mean Walton isn’t doing his job or isn’t performing well. He just hasn’t stood out in a positive or negative way. For instance, Josh Mauro was disruptive along the defensive line last year and an easy player to notice. That hasn’t been the case for Walton.
Unlike some of the other positions, playing along the defensive line can be a thankless job, and the Steelers are in need of more depth at the position. Cam Thomas has stepped up his play from last year, but that still leaves a fourth spot available for a young defensive end.
The coaches have occasionally given Ethan Hemer some praise during practice, yet his upside is limited. Walton was an “ascending player” entering the draft, according to Lance Zierlein of NFL.com and has greater upside than Hemer.
Walton picked up two tackles against the Vikings and demonstrated his ability to explode off the snap:
"L.T. Walton, SO much more explosive out of his stance than Ethan Hemer.
— Jon Ledyard (@jledgePFS) August 10, 2015 "
As was known before the Steelers drafted him, Walton is a developmental player and will need at least a season or two before becoming a fixture in the rotation along the defensive line.
OLB Anthony Chickillo
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Whenever a young linebacker can generate pressure against the quarterback or make tackles for a loss against the run, it gets people talking. That is why Anthony Chickillo is an early candidate for camp phenom.
He has a quick first step when rushing the quarterback and plays with power when defending the run. However, we must keep it in perspective that he is facing third- and fourth-team players. That doesn’t mean we can’t get just a little excited with his potential.
As a former defensive end, Chickillo weighed 284 pounds in college but dropped over 30 pounds prior to the start of training camp. With less mass to carry around, he is a quicker, more explosive player, which is exactly what the Steelers desire from their outside linebackers.
According to his father, Tony Chickillo, Anthony's journey to become an outside linebacker is long overdue, per Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
“I believe Anthony should have been an outside linebacker from day one,” Tony Chickillo said. “He’s hoping for an opportunity to be that player, and Joey Porter is the perfect coach to guide Anthony for his career.”
So far, so good for the younger Chickillo. He caught the attention of his head coach during the backs-on-backers drill and performed well in limited action in the preseason.
No matter how well he plays, he has four linebackers ahead of him—Arthur Moats, Jarvis Jones, James Harrison and Bud Dupree—and will battle with a fifth—Howard Jones—for the last spot. That means it will all come down to special teams.
This area is a work in progress for Chickillo, but if he can adjust to special teams as he has to outside linebacker, he will be an impact player in no time.
FS Gerod Holliman
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When the coaches tell the defenders to stay off the ground, Gerod Holliman never has any issues. He will do enough to make the stop but never put on a hit like Vince Williams. Well, almost never:
Rosy Nix, the former DT playing FB, caught a short pass and turned upfield, got rolling, and was blown up by Gerod Holliman. #Steelers
— James C Wexell (@jimwexell) August 5, 2015
As interested as we are in Holliman’s tackling—and sometimes his effort is bad—the Steelers drafted him for his ability to make plays on the ball, not to light up receivers and tight ends. He hasn’t matched his production at Louisville, but he is getting his hands on the ball.
More importantly, he has impressed the coaching staff with his head:
“He can call [the defenses] right now. He’s a rookie, he’s still learning, but there’s nothing in his game right now that says he can’t,” secondary coach Carnell Lake told Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “He can do it. I wouldn’t hesitate on that. The more time we have out of training camp the better he’s going to get.”
Lake compared Holliman’s football smarts to former teammate Darren Perry. He also believes that the rookie safety did not make all of those interceptions (14) last season by accident:
“To get that many interceptions, you have to have instincts,” Lake said. “He has a real savvy and knack for the game and it shows. I think he’s going to develop and going to be one of the smarter guys because he doesn’t have blazing speed or other traits you look for, but from the neck up he’s got a lot of talent. And because of it, he’s able to make plays just as he did in college.”
Injuries to the safety position will provide Holliman with more chances as training camp progresses. He is still a long shot to make the team, but as long as he continues to improve his tackling and impress the coaches with his mental game, Holliman will find a spot on the final roster.
Note: Unless otherwise noted, all stats are courtesy of ESPN.com, and roster information is courtesy of Steelers.com. Camp observations obtained firsthand.
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