Steelers Rookies Making Impact Early in 2014 Season

When the Pittsburgh Steelers put the wraps on the 2014 NFL draft, there was great optimism about the impact these young players would make. And the hope was that this would happen sooner rather than later.  Historically speaking, the Steelers haven't been a franchise to force rookies into playing time, but desperate times call for desperate measures. 

The two rookies that all the attention was on at the start of the season were linebacker Ryan Shazier and running back Dri Archer. These were the uber-athletic players who brought the promise of big plays. Unfortunately, neither of them has been able to stay healthy enough to have any real impact up to this point.

So, on Monday night, head coach Mike Tomlin called upon two different rookies to step into the spotlight to produce, and both did. 

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First, let's talk about the flashier of the two rookie performers from the Steelers' Monday night win over the Houston Texans. Wide receiver Martavis Bryant had been inactive for the season up until this point, but on Monday night, it was all hands on deck.

It seemed as if Tomlin was hoping that he could bring Bryant along slowly, instead leaning on the stable of veteran wide receivers on the roster. The only problem with that was that other than Antonio Brown, no other wide receivers had really held up their end of the bargain.

In particular, Pittsburgh's red-zone efficiency had been dreadful, and this team needed a spark to get things going. Was Bryant going to be the answer?

I guess the answer is sort of. While Bryant didn't have an impact in the red zone, he did make a tremendous play in the first half. Sometimes, being 6'4" and lightning fast is enough, and for Bryant, that was all he needed. Bryant lined up wide on 1st-and-10 at the Houston 35-yard line. 

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

This is a spot where teams often like to take a shot deep. That is just what the Steelers did. Bryant ran a very simple route. He started to shade inside, forcing the corner to give him the sideline, and Bryant just made an easy cut outside and turned on the jets. By the time rookie cornerback Andre Hal gets turned back to the outside, it's over. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger drops one right in the bucket, and Pittsburgh has a 35-yard touchdown.

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Martavis Bryant makes his first NFL touchdown Wow: http://t.co/scBlbY7ha1 via @YouTube

— NFL Draft Diamonds (@DraftDiamonds) October 21, 2014"

Pittsburgh took shots with Bryant a few more times during the game as well. Even though it couldn't duplicate the magic of that first play, just having Bryant on the field makes this offense better. Bryant's ability to take the top off a defense means less attention can be paid to the rushing attack.

While Bryant stole the show, there was another rookie on the other side of the football who had a solid, albeit less obvious, performance on Monday as well. Rookie defense tackle Daniel McCullers got his first game jersey of the year like Bryant and really did make the most of his opportunity.

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While Bryant got the nod to try and spark a sputtering offense, McCullers was in there because injuries have depleted the Steelers' defensive-line depth. This thrust the 352-pound McCullers into rotation with the defensive line, and while the box score didn't show it, he did his job. 

On one play in particular, you really saw the raw power that McCullers is capable of. On a dropback by Texans quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, McCullers took veteran center Chris Myers and just put him on skates. In fact, he pushed Myers right past Fitzpatrick, sliding him seven yards off the line of scrimmage. Would a sack have been better? Of course. 

Nevertheless, this play, along with a handful of others, including a fourth down where the Texans converted but McCullers did his job, really illustrated the potential he has. As an interior player, it isn't about racking up big numbers; it's about eating up blocks and letting others close the deal. McCullers showed on Monday night he could do just that.

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

This coaching staff has taken a lot of criticism, much of which is unfounded. But if you want something to criticize this staff for, let it be for the fact that these two players had to wait seven weeks before being activated. Going forward, these two young players need to be worked more and more into the game plan.