Pittsburgh Steelers: Early Rookie Progress Reports

The Pittsburgh Steelers' latest phase of offseason workouts is beginning this week. After that, mandatory minicamp kicks off in June before full-team training camp begins in July. The players getting the most work so far this offseason are the rookies, and for good reason—they have new schemes to memorize, new coaches to work with and new teammates to familiarize themselves with.

Let's take a look at the early progress some of these Steelers rookies have made. 

DL L.T. Walton

Keith Srakocic/Associated Press

In his chat transcript from last week, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Gerry Dulac predicted that the first five of the Steelers' eight 2015 draft picks would make the 53-man roster. Of the remaining three, he believes "at least one" will crack the 53-man roster, with that player most likely being defensive lineman Leterrius "L.T." Walton.

Walton, part of a 4-3 defense at Central Michigan, is working hard to transition to the Steelers' 3-4 base. Following rookie minicamp earlier this month, he said, "Coach [John] Mitchell is teaching me a bunch of different things. I played in a different defense in college, coming out here to this defense it’s a lot of different terminology and technique. Technique is very important here. The learning process continues. I am out here having fun."

That transition may take some time, but Walton certainly has enough ahead of him to successfully make it. How well he does, though, will determine whether his 2015 is spent on the active roster, as Dulac predicted, or on the practice squad.

LB Anthony Chickillo

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Sixth-round draft pick Anthony Chickillo also has a transition to make from college football to the NFL. He will be learning the craft of the 3-4 outside linebacker with the Steelers this year, a big switch from the defensive end position he played in college. But linebackers coach Joey Porter appears confident that Chickillo will develop into a crucial player for the team.

After the team drafted Chickillo earlier in May, Porter said, "You can never have enough pass-rushers in the way the game is being played now from the outside linebacker position. I think he's going to add a lot of depth to us. He gives us some switch-up opportunities to move us around."

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Gerry Dulac said last week that Chickillo "looks like one of those guys you just can't cut."

Chickillo is certainly a hard worker. But as Dani Bostick of Beyond the Steel Curtain notes, Chickillo's odds to make the roster hinge on his ability to drop into coverage, something the Steelers ask of their outside linebackers. The better he gets at this skill the greater the odds he makes the 53-man roster.

S Gerod Holliman

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Seventh-round Steelers draft pick Gerod Holliman led the NCAA with 14 interceptions in 2014. But the safety will have to prove that he has more than just good hands to be part of the starting safety competition this year.

Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert spoke to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Ray Fittipaldo earlier in May about Holliman:

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I don't know how many times we said this during our draft preparations, but 14 interceptions is no accident. This kid has great instincts and awareness. He's a film studier and you can just see him making breaks on the ball before the quarterback throws it. He's got the great hands to finish it. This kid is a ball hawk and knows how to make interceptions.

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Still, Holliman struggles as a tackler. This has led Fittipaldo to predict that Holliman will compete with Robert Golden for a backup free safety job but not with Mike Mitchell and Shamarko Thomas for one of the team's starting jobs this year.

Holliman could improve his tackling this summer enough to be in that conversation eventually, but for now, Holliman's reputation as a ball hawk doesn't appear to be a strong enough argument for him to be in the starting mix.

CB Senquez Golson

Keith Srakocic/Associated Press

Cornerback Senquez Golson may only be 5'9", but he plays far bigger than his height. And ESPN's Jeremy Fowler believes that Golson will make the biggest impact among the Steelers' 2015 rookie class this year.

Golson gets the nod over linebacker Bud Dupree because "Golson seems like the type of playmaker that's difficult to keep off the field. If the Steelers use him correctly, he will rack up tackles and have a chance to defend multiple passes a game." 

Fowler notes that Dupree will likely have to rotate with James Harrison and Arthur Moats before he truly gets his bearings, while Golson can start right away, whether on the outside along with William Gay or inside as a slot cornerback.

Golson is certainly passionate about football. He shared his thoughts on the game with the Steelers' official website earlier this month: "Football, I could play year round, I could play football every day. There is something about football that I love. Football is a passion that burns in me."

With Fowler noting that the Steelers were considering trading up from 56th overall to take Golson and Golson fully committed to football, he should have a good summer ahead of him.

WR Sammie Coates

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Former Auburn wide receiver Sammie Coates has a lot in common with 2014 Steelers draft pick Martavis Bryant. Both are tall receivers with big-play ability and can take the tops off of opposing defenses. But hands are an issue. It's the reason why Bryant didn't hit the active roster until Week 7 of his rookie year, and it's something the Steelers will have to hammer home again with Coates this year.

But unlike Bryant, it looks like Coates will begin his career with the Steelers in the slot. At least, that's what USA Today's Neal Coolong anticipates:

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If Coates will get a large amount of snaps in 2015, it will be in the slot. The Steelers have both Martavis Bryant (coming off a season in which he led the NFL in yards per reception with 21.1 among receivers with 40 or more targets) and Markus Wheaton, a two-year veteran who caught 58 passes in 2014. Coates is not going to get much of anything over either of them.

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Coolong does note that Coates' size makes him a better suit for the blocking role inherent with a slot receiver's job, something that Justin Brown and Lance Moore couldn't quite master a year ago. He also boasts greater athleticism than Wheaton, making him a better fit in the slot than the veteran.

But it will all come down to Coates' hands—he may have to sit out the first few weeks of the season like Bryant did last year if he cannot reliably catch the football.