Pittsburgh Steelers Rookie Report Card Grades After Week 7
We have nearly reached the halfway point of the Pittsburgh Steelers' 2017 season, so it's a good time to check in on their drafted rookies and see who is contributing and how much.
The Steelers selected eight players in the 2017 NFL Draft, but not all of those picks have been hits—which is rarely the case for any team. Still, they have managed to get productive playing time out of some of their rookies.
Here are grades for each of the Steelers' 2017 draft picks, keeping in mind there are still nine games ahead that can change these evaluations by the time the season is over.
OLB T.J. Watt
1 of 8
When the Steelers selected outside linebacker T.J. Watt in the first round of the 2017 draft, the expectation was that he would be able to contribute right away. If he couldn't, though, they still had both James Harrison and Anthony Chickillo ready to serve as experienced veterans able to step in when called upon.
But Watt proved to be a quick study, something evidenced by him being a starter on Pittsburgh's defense for all six games he's appeared in (Watt missed Week 3 with a groin injury).
And those starts have not been just for show; Watt is regularly playing 80 to 90 percent of the Steelers' defensive snaps and is only replaced in certain sub-packages or to get a breather. He's also a regular contributor on special teams.
Through six games, Watt has 24 combined tackles (including three for a loss), has forced one fumble, recovered a fumble, defensed three passes and has an interception. He is also tied with Vince Williams and Cameron Heyward with the most sacks on the team with four.
Watt has proved he can step into Pittsburgh's relatively complicated defense and master his job with ease. He's not just key in the Steelers defense this year, he should also be an integral part of it for years to come—just as Harrison has been for the past decade-plus.
Grade: A
WR JuJu Smith-Schuster
2 of 8
The presence of wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster has done much to shake up the Steelers offense this season. The second-round draft pick has essentially forced Sammie Coates off of the roster (he was traded to the Cleveland Browns in early September) and has turned both Martavis Bryant and, even more so, Eli Rogers into part-time players.
Smith-Schuster is the Steelers' third-leading receiver, catching 17 passes on 27 targets for 231 yards. His three scores are tied with Antonio Brown for the most out of all of Pittsburgh's receivers. He has also totaled 90 yards after the catch and 13 of his receptions have resulted in first downs.
The Steelers have experimented with Smith-Schuster in the return game; he's returned four kickoffs for a total of 44 yards before ceding the job to running back Terrell Watson.
A physical, chains-moving receiver, Smith-Schuster has shown prowess both in the slot as well as on the outside of the field.
And the Steelers aren't limiting him much despite his rookie status, with Smith-Schuster regularly playing 66 percent or more of the team's offensive snaps.
He's had just one fewer catch than Bryant this year and three fewer yards, and his role could increase as the season wears on, to the point where Smith-Schuster could be the Steelers' second-leading receiver behind Brown when his rookie year comes to a close.
Grade: A
CB Cameron Sutton
3 of 8
When the Steelers selected cornerback Cameron Sutton with their first of two third-round picks in the spring, the expectation was that he'd be among the myriad players, young and old, trying to be not only a starter on the outside of the defense, but also the team's primary slot cornerback.
However, Sutton's chances to earn that job dwindled during the summer. Sutton missed three weeks of training camp with a hamstring injury, and then he reaggravated the same hamstring in the Steelers' final preseason game.
Sutton is on injured reserve, but he is eligible to make his return. The earliest that can take place, per NFL rules, is after Week 8. With the Steelers on their bye week in Week 9, that's around the time to keep an eye on Sutton's progress—to see if he is cleared and activated and begins taking part in on-field practices.
Even if Sutton doesn't see playing time this year, it doesn't mean the Steelers wasted a draft pick. Injuries happen and are unpredictable, and what matters most is what happens after the player becomes healthy again.
Sutton was clearly in the Steelers' plans—he wouldn't have been drafted otherwise—and should find himself in a positional battle yet again. The question is whether that battle takes place later this year or has to wait until 2018.
Grade: I
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RB James Conner
4 of 8
Running back James Conner, the Steelers' third-round draft pick, hasn't been much of a fixture on his team's offense this season, though he has been on the 46-man active, game-day roster for all seven games.
His most playing time came in Week 1, when veteran Le'Veon Bell was still working through the rust of having sat out of training camp and the preseason on a contract holdout. Conner played 13.3 percent of the team's offensive snaps that week, but he has seen that number dwindle to around 8 to 9 percent over the last four weeks.
Through seven games, Conner has 17 carries for 88 yards and is averaging an impressive 5.2 yards per carry. However, that hasn't been enough for him to force Bell off of the field for any appreciable amount of playing time. Further, fellow back Terrell Watson has been called upon more than Conner in short-yardage and goal-line situations.
This is likely a result of Conner's rookie status. He's still trying to improve his skills as a blocker, and his limited playing time hasn't resulted in a major role in the passing game, either, with zero targets so far this season.
He has played 26 special-teams snaps, though, and is still being treated as the No. 2 to Bell. As he becomes more acclimated to the NFL, his playing time should rise. Look for Conner's role to increase slightly this year and be more obvious in his 2018 campaign.
Grade: B-
QB Joshua Dobbs
5 of 8
The Steelers selected quarterback Joshua Dobbs in the fourth round of the 2017 draft, four years after the last time they drafted a quarterback—Landry Jones, also in Round 4.
With Ben Roethlisberger entrenched as the team's starter, at least for 2017, the Steelers had no need to find a starting-capable player in this year's draft, rather another young backup who could push Jones and provide depth at the position.
Dobbs did not beat out Jones for the backup job, but the Steelers see enough value in him to keep him around and did not choose to try to stash him on the practice squad.
Instead, Dobbs is on the Steelers' 53-man roster—but, like most of the team's third-string quarterbacks over the years, he does not dress for game days.
Only if Roethlisberger has to miss time due to injury—thus forcing Jones into the starting role—would Dobbs be an active, dressed player for a given game this season.
The real question is whether Dobbs will develop into real competition for Jones in the offseason and what becomes of either of them should Roethlisberger choose to retire after the 2017 season. But for now, don't expect Dobbs to be dressed for a game unless injury forces the Steelers' hand.
Grade: I
CB Brian Allen
6 of 8
Fifth-round cornerback Brian Allen hasn't seen much on-field action so far during his rookie season. He's been active for just three games—in Weeks 2, 4 and 6—and has only appeared on special teams, logging a total of 14 snaps. Neither injuries nor poor play have resulted in Allen yet seeing the field as a defensive back.
However, that's not a surprise, nor an indication of failure on his or the Steelers' parts. As a fifth-round pick, Allen's chances to make an impact in any area beyond special teams were slim, and the depth chart ahead of him is so well-established that Allen's true value to Pittsburgh won't be revealed until 2018 at best—unless outside circumstances force him into greater playing time.
For now, Allen should continue to see special-teams work when the need arises. And it does bode well for his future that the Steelers opted to make sure Allen is part of the 53-man roster rather than flirt with the chances of losing him to another team had he been placed on their practice squad.
Allen does have a role to play as a rookie, albeit a slim one.
Grade: C
LS Colin Holba
7 of 8
When the Steelers selected long snapper Colin Holba with their sixth-round pick in the 2017 draft, it signaled one thing: Something was up with long-time snapper Greg Warren.
Indeed, a few weeks later, Warren was released with a failed physical designation. That resulted in the Steelers bringing back another long snapper in Kameron Canaday, with the plan being Canaday and Holba spending the summer battling it out for the job.
Though Holba had the size advantage and the benefit of the Steelers having spent a draft pick on him, that didn't result in him outperforming Canaday through training camp. Holba was released as part of Pittsburgh's final roster cuts, giving Canaday the job security that seemed such a long shot just months prior.
While disappointing, the Steelers had neither much to lose nor gain by using a sixth-round draft pick on Holba or by releasing him. There was a competition, and one man was not going to win it. It just so happened that the odd man out was also a 2017 draft pick.
But it also doesn't change the fact that of the Steelers' eight players picked in the 2017 draft, Holba was the only one released outright.
Grade: F
OLB Keion Adams
8 of 8
Though outside linebacker Keion Adams was the Steelers' final pick of the 2017 draft, that didn't guarantee that he'd be a long shot to make the 53-man roster or at least the practice squad.
Adams, though, would have only been a depth piece on the defense as a rookie, given the depth chart ahead of him featured another rookie, T.J. Watt, along with Bud Dupree, James Harrison, Arthur Moats and Anthony Chickillo.
But Adams' rookie-year fate was sealed early in the summer when he struggled through a shoulder injury that cost him most of training camp.
He's on injured reserve and could return after Pittsburgh's Week 9 bye. But this will likely be an injury-red-shirt-type year for Adams, which should suit him fairly well. There looks to be room on the lower part of Pittsburgh's outside linebacking depth chart in 2018 that Adams could be in line to fill.
Grade: I
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