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FROM THE EDITOR |

BOB LABRIOLA

A memorable draft weekend Ryan Shazier was very much an integral component of the 2018 NFL draft for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Both his presence, and his absence.

His presence at the site of the draft in Arlington, Texas, touched their hearts and served as an inspiration to all who watched him walk the 20 yards out to the podium with his fiancée, Michelle, to announce the Steelers’ first-round draft choice.

Seeing how far Shazier had come, through hard work and sheer determination, to walk approximately 20 yards unaided following a severe spinal injury on Dec. 4 in Cincinnati brought some tears to the eyes of team personnel gathered in the Bill Nunn Draft Room as the Steelers conducted their business during the first round, and his walk brought a standing ovation from the crowd on site inside AT&T Stadium.

And his confirmed absence for the whole 2018 season had created a hole in their defensive lineup that they were expected to use this three-day draft to try to fill.

Shazier, the Steelers’ first-round pick in the 2014 NFL draft, had spent his first four seasons in the NFL becoming the consummate inside linebacker for every- situation. No matter what the opposing offense tried to do, no matter the opponent’s personnel grouping, no matter the down-and-distance, no matter the spot on the field, Shazier was an asset for the defense. In fact, in each and every one of those situations, he was the most dynamic player on the field for the Steelers defense.

The draft is how the Steelers have come by all of the dynamic players who have helped the team win an NFL-leading six Lombardi Trophies, and so it was expected that they would go back to this proven formula to find Shazier’s replacement. That meant an inside linebacker would be the pick in the first round, and if not on the first round, then certainly during the second or third rounds, which were to be held Friday.

When the 2018 NFL draft concluded for the Steelers early Saturday evening after they had spent the final of their seven selections on an Alabama nose tackle named Joshua Frazier, their tally for the three days included a grand total of zero inside linebackers. None. In fact, no linebackers, period.

“We go into (the draft) wanting to add to every position that we can,” General Manager Kevin Colbert said. “In the offseason when we signed (unrestricted free agent) Jon Bostic, Jon started 14 games and was highly productive last season (for the Colts). We’re excited about him being with us.

Tyler Matakevich got hurt in the same quarter of

When Ryan Shazier walked out to announce and welcome first-round pick Terrell Edmunds, it may have been the highlight of the 2018 draft for many Steelers fans.

AP Photo/PERRY KNOTTS

the same game as Ryan Shazier. Had Tyler not been injured, we might have had a whole different discussion going on, because Tyler was a highly productive special teams guy who really hasn’t gotten the opportunity to play. So between Jon and Tyler, we don’t know what we have in those two, quite honestly, because Jon is new to us and Tyler will be in the rotation and competition as well.”

Maybe that’s Colbert trying to put the best spin on an unfortunate turn of events, because the Steelers were very interested in picking an inside linebacker, in the first round for sure. But Dallas picking Leighton Vander Esch 19th overall and Tennessee trading up above the Steelers to grab Rashaan Evans at 22nd overall were just a couple of the notable examples of their bad luck in this respect.

“If there are positions available to us when we’re picking, and they fit, and they’re in the right spot, then great,” said Colbert. “If they’re not, we’re not going to reach. We’re not going to reach. Coach Tomlin was awesome throughout this process in

saying, ‘Let’s respect the board. Let’s look at the best players available, and then we’ll adjust from there.’ ” So the Steelers stuck to their board, and what their board told them was to add two more safeties — Terrell Edmunds in the first round, and Marcus Allen with their first pick in the fifth round — to an existing group that includes third-year pro Sean Davis and unrestricted free agent Morgan Burnett.

And maybe that leads the Steelers to consider an adjustment to one of their sub-packages on defense to get more speed and coverage ability on the field.

After the pick of Edmunds in the first round, Mike Tomlin had said, “Anything that you can imagine him doing, you saw him do on Virginia Tech’s defensive tape within Coach Bud Foster’s scheme. You saw him play free. You saw him play strong. You saw him play deep middle. You saw him play half-field. You saw him play sub-package

See LABRIOLA, page 4 STEELERS DIGEST • 3

INSIDE |

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The Steelers bolstered their defense when they selected Virginia Tech safety Terrell Edmunds in the first round of the 2018 NFL draft.

Cover Photo/KARL ROSER

STORY LINES 8 Complete 2018 NFL draft recap THOMAS N. CURTIS, Publisher ANDREW E. COHEN, Managing Editor BOB LABRIOLA, Editor ARMANDO MATO, Creative Director ALAIN POUPART, Associate Editor JIM WEXELL, Associate Editor TERESA VARLEY, Assistant Editor

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27 Position-by-position roster 29 Heath returns to Heinz 31 Playing the numbers game 33 Breaking down the new rules 37 Analyzing the 2018 schedule

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LABRIOLA |

NEXT ISSUE The next issue of Steelers Digest will be the training camp issue and will be printed and mailed in early August. It will include a comprehensive preview of training camp as well as analysis on all the latest developments.

FROM PAGE 3

linebacker. … We got a sharp, young, versatile guy who’s a very good communicator who plays with physicality. Quite simply, he checked all the boxes for us.”

About Marcus Allen, Colbert said, “We had taken Terrell Edmunds in the first round, and we still liked Marcus Allen a lot. The safety group was a nice group, and when Marcus was still available in the fifth round, we really liked his physicality. Marcus is a guy who knocks people backward when he hits them, and he does it very often. To add a guy like him in the fifth round even though we had taken (a safety) in the first round, it was a pretty easy pick because he was clearly the highest-rated guy we had left on our board at that point.”

Both Edmunds and Allen drew praise over the weekend for being physical, for being solid tacklers, for being versatile in terms of defending both the run and the pass, for being smart and good communicators. All of those qualities certainly translate to safety play in a traditional sense, but when one considers the job description of a sub-package linebacker, the same skill set is what’s required to be effective in that role as well.

“I think (the three safeties added so far this offseaso n) can help our football team in a number of ways, and it’s probably something that’s just indicative of the safety position in today’s NFL,” said Tomlin. “Not only are they capable safeties, but in sub-package defense when you start putting defensive backs down in the box, several of these guys have had that in their past, and we’re excited about looking at that as a potential component of our play.

“And also, safeties can be a significant element of special teams play in the National Football League. To be able to add some guys who not only play the safety position but also are physical tacklers who can help us as potential second-level defenders in sub-package defenses, I think it has been a good weekend for us in that perspective.”

4 • STEELERS DIGEST

First-round pick Terrell Edmunds was a unique prospect because of his ability to do so many things in the secondary.

Digest Photo/KARL ROSER

VOICES 3 Bob Labriola 5 Mike Tomlin/Kevin Colbert 25 Just My Opinion

Q&A |

COLBERT AND TOMLIN

Breaking down the 2018 draft Q. Do you recall drafting someone like a quarterback and receiver duo from the same school? And how much does it help them?

KC: Without really of doing a bunch of research, I really can’t in my own experience. I’d have to look through it. I think they mentioned there was eight combinations that have been drafted previously but really one had nothing to do with the other.

Other than us being at their Pro Day, and they had a heck of a pro day, and of course when you saw one play, you saw the other play. So, the familiarity was there when you saw Oklahoma State play but really James (Washington), and Mason (Rudolph) drafting, had they appeared when they did their availability for us, so it’s good that they can come in together. It always helps to have a familiar face. Especially as successful a pair of those two have been but right now they are Steelers and they are brand new Steelers and they are going to have to re-prove themselves individually. Who knows how many times they’ll actually work together, so it’s a new beginning for the both of them, but I’m sure the familiarity won’t hurt.

Q. Did you have a first-round grade on Mason Rudolph?

KC: I’ll say this: He was with the group of the top quarterbacks. That was a really good position.

Again, that’s very unique to the draft that usually doesn’t come through a nice group like that and to be able to get one of those guys in our situation. As we mentioned before, and it’s nothing against Landry (Jones) or Josh Dobbs, it’s just this kid was available at a very easy selection point and that’s a critical position. Where he fits, how quick he fits, Coach (Tomlin) can address that. We just know it’s nice to have good options at the critical position.

Q. Were you trying to add players at the inside linebacker position?

KC: We go into wanting to add to every position that we can. In the offseason when we signed Jon Bostic, Jon started 14 games and was highly productive last season. We’re excited about him being with us. Tyler Matakevich, he got hurt in the same quarter that Ryan (Shazier) did. Had he not got injured we may have had a whole different discussion going on because Tyler is a very highly productive special teams guy that really hasn’t gotten to play (defensively). So, between Jon and Tyler we don’t know what we have at those two quite honestly because Jon is new to us and Tyler will be in the rotation and competition as well. If there are

Mike Tomlin and Kevin Colbert both believe in the idea of approaching the draft to help the Steelers right away while also not Digest Photo/TAYLOR OLLASON losing sight of the big picture.

positions that are available to us when we are picking, and they fit and they are at the right spot, great. If they are not, we’re not going to reach.

Coach was awesome throughout this process and saying, no, let’s respect the board and let’s see who’s the best players available and then we’ll adjust from there.

Q. You added three safeties. Can they help pick up that inside linebacker slack?

MT: I think they can help our football team in a number of ways and it’s probably something indicative of the safety position in today’s NFL. Not only are they capable safeties but in sub-package defense when you start putting DBs down in the box. Several of these guys have had that in their past and we are excited about looking at that as a potential component of our play. Also, special teams is a significant element in the National Football League, so to be able to add some guys that not only play the safety, but are physical tacklers that can help us as potential second-level defenders in sub-package defenses or in terms of covering kicks, it has been a good weekend for us from that perspective.

Q. Can you compare Terrell Edmunds and Marcus Allen?

MT: Both very physical tacklers at the safety position that has to be something that you covet.

Both psychical tacklers. There was some more versatility on Edmunds’ tape, but really it was a function of what he was asked to do within their scheme. I’m excited about both men. Like both men, obviously, like Edmunds at a different level, but to what Kevin (Colbert) said, to have Allen available at the time, it was an easy decision for us just because we respect the player that he is — position discussions aside.

Q. Did you consider Mason Rudolph in the second round?

KC: It looked like he was going to be available at that point — of course he was — but then we had James (Washington) available to us as well. So, to be able to get the receiver, we took the precedent of taking the receiver, because the receiver can help now. Then when it gets past that point of helping now, and then looking again, down the

See Q&A, page 7 STEELERS DIGEST • 5

Q&A |

FROM PAGE 5

road, it was too easy. It was an easy decision to take Mason Rudolph where we did, but at that point, yes, we did consider it. But the receiver was more the present, whereas Mason was more for the future.

Q. How do you see Jaylen Samuels fitting in to your offense, and what did he do at N.C. State?

MT: I think that’s to be determined, and I don’t say that in a negative sense. Boy, he was a versatile guy for them. Kevin spoke to some of 70-plus receptions this year, over 200 catches on his career.

I think it’s worth noting also that he had 12 touchdowns rushing this year. Some of it as a Wildcat runner or so forth. So we are excited about him and his skill set and maybe the matchup issues that he could create. He’ll be given the opportunity to be a running back, but obviously, as a running back who excels and has exceled in the passing game.

Whether it’s out of the backfield, aligned or out of the backfield in terms of when the ball is snapped.

We are excited about him displaying those skills and others. I’m also interested to see what type of versatility he can display in the (special) teams game. I’d imagine that a guy who has done as much for his college football team as he did is capable of showing a wide variety of skills as well.

Q. What options does James Washington give your offense?

MT: He’s a very, very accomplished receiver. I have a very similar feel about him as I did about JuJu (Smith-Schuster) a year ago. His resume speaks for itself. He’s got a well-rounded game; he’s not a specialist in that he only excels in one aspect of receiver play. He’s good short. He’s good long. He’s a good combat-catch guy. He’s a hand catcher. He’s got physicality to his game whether he has the ball or not. There’s a lot of things that are attractive about him. A guy with that type of skill set can help us in a variety of ways, whether we are throwing him the ball or not, and I felt similarity about JuJu a year ago.

Q. Was it a coincidence that you seemingly addressed 2019-20 in this draft instead of 2018, or is that just how it goes some years?

KC: I think we go into this and we talked and some positions you’re helping right now. We think James Washington, and I’m not making a decision for the coach, but he’s probably going to help more immediately than, obviously, Mason Rudolph will. So yes, he’ll help more in ’18, but you have to protect the future as well because not all these guys will play, especially because we’ve got a pretty good team. So to add some young folks into it,

Mike Tomlin is excited to see what running back Jaylen Samuels can bring to the offense and the special teams.

Digest Photo/KARL ROSER

this roster will change. On average, NFL teams will change 16 to 20 players per year, so we don’t know who will be available, who will be healthy, who will retire as we go down the line. So we’ve just got to keep adding guys to create competition and someday they may be starters, some of them more quickly than others, but you’re always balancing that out. Every draft is similar that way, especially when you have, I wouldn’t say we have an old team, I think we have a team with a lot of players in their prime. And there’s some young ones and I think these guys will push them, and that’s good.

And how quickly they contribute, that’s up to them.

The coaches will give them the opportunities, the players will force their way into the lineup because I’m sure if the coaches think they can help us win, they’ll play.

Q. Why not go all in this year?

KC: We go all in every year. Every year we want to win the thing. We want to win it every year. So I’ll never support mortgaging the future to sell out and win because one critical injury can change that.

And what have you done to your organization?

Since I’ve been a part of this thing we’ve had one losing season. And, you know, that’s one too many.

Fortunately, we’ve got a franchise, Hall of Fame quarterback that year. But if that wasn’t … you

know, of those quarterbacks, there’s probably three Hall of Famers that came out of that class.

That was a unique class. But if that wasn’t the case, who knows what would have happened because, obviously, without Ben (Roethlisberger), we’re probably not winning as many Super Bowls as we’ve been able to. Every year it’s a different challenge. This is the challenge, 2018, to win the Super Bowl. But again, we’re never going to lose sight of making sure we can compete each and every year.

MT: I think that it’s worth noting also, we believe that these guys not only can help us in the future, but these guys are also capable of helping us this year, if they earn it. We don’t discount any contributions or make any assumptions regarding division of labor or roles. These guys will be given an opportunity to carve out roles for themselves this year. And if they do and it’s significant, great. If they don’t, we’ve got quality people that are working and they’re in an environment that’s conducive to them growing. We sat in here a year ago last year and speculated that maybe JuJu was a luxury pick and maybe it wasn’t necessarily a driving need there. That guy made a lot of plays for us in 2017.

So I just didn’t want to miss that statement or miss that point. We like these men. We believe these guys are capable of helping us win in ’18 and beyond.

STEELERS DIGEST • 7

2018 DRAFT CLASS OF 2018 Name

College

Rd.

Overall

S Terrell Edmunds

Virginia Tech

1

28th

WR James Washington

Oklahoma State

2

60th

QB Mason Rudolph

Oklahoma State

3

76th

OL Chukwuma Okorafor

Western Michigan

3

92nd

S Marcus Allen

Penn State

5

148th

RB Jaylen Samuels

North Carolina State

5

165th

DT Joshua Frazier

Alabama

7

246th

2018 DRAFT |

TERRELL EDMUNDS • S • VIRGINIA TECH • HT: 6-1 • WT.: 217 • ROUND: 1 (28th overall)

Edmunds a do-it-all defender “He was a really fun evaluation for me personally.

Anything that you can imagine him doing, you saw him do on Virginia Tech’s defensive tape.”

Digest Photo/KARL ROSER

By JIM WEXELL Associate Editor Getting a top player at a particular position isn’t easy when you’re drafting as late as the Steelers have drafted throughout the Kevin Colbert-Mike Tomlin era.

Since 2007, the Steelers average picking 23.3, yet have maintained an elite won-loss record by drafting the best player at positions which don’t rank among the most valued, at least monetarily: inside linebacker, 5-tech defensive end, center, guard and, this year, sub-package safety.

Of course, no one should fall for the misnomer of “sub package,” because it’s being used over the “base” on more than 7 of 10 snaps.

In fact, colleges are using so many sub packages that NFL teams are getting a more accurate read in scouting. Tomlin talked about it before the draft,

and then he talked about it again after drafting Virginia Tech safety Terrell Edmunds in the first round.

“He was a really fun evaluation for me personally,” said Tomlin. “Anything that you can imagine him doing, you saw him do on Virginia Tech’s defensive tape. Within Coach Bud Foster’s scheme you saw him play free, you saw him play strong, you saw him play deep middle, you saw him play subpackage linebacker in there alongside his brother.

“That versatility was exciting. We were just talking in here the other day about the specialization of ball and things that you’re able to do in sub packages, and you’re not speculating in that evaluation. You saw him do a number of the things that’ll be on the menu for him. We got a sharp, young, versatile guy who’s a very good communicator who plays with physicality. Quite simply he checked all the boxes for us.”

That versatility was no doubt born back home in Ringgold, Virginia, a small town outside of Danville where Edmunds’ father, former Pro Bowl tight end Ferrell Edmunds, grew up.

Following his seven-year NFL career, Ferrell and wife Felicia, a.k.a. “Cookie”, raised Ferrell III, FeDerius and Fe’Zahn. The three boys are better known to their NFL fans by their middle names Trey, Terrell and Tremaine.

The latter two this year became the first pair of brothers to be drafted in the first round of the same NFL draft. All three honed their all-around football skills, their versatility, by playing “Pick Up and Dive” with cousins in their rural cul-de-sac in south central Virginia.

See EDMUNDS, page 11 STEELERS DIGEST • 9

EDMUNDS |

FROM PAGE 9

“It’s a neverending game,” said Terrell. “You’re just running back and forth as you try to get tackled. You’re trying to see who’s tough and who’s not tough. You get weeded out real fast if you get tackled and then you want to go in the house.”

Edmunds did both in high school. He was a second-team All-State running back after rushing for 1,783 yards and 25 touchdowns his senior year at Dan River High. He was second-team All-State defensive back his junior year. But Virginia Tech’s coach at the time, Frank Beamer, saw Terrell and Tremaine play basketball on the JV team when he went to Dan River to recruit Trey, who was playing later in the varsity game.

Beamer got all three — his 25th set of brothers at Tech — and they all lined up together for the opening kickoff of the 2015 season against Ohio State.

Terrell went to Tech as a cornerback, redshirted in 2014, and in 2015 played all over Foster’s 4-2-5 defense and Tech’s special teams.

In 2016, Edmunds became the starting rover, which is probably more of a box safety/little linebacker position, and he had his best college season with 101 tackles and four interceptions.

Edmunds’ 2017 season was marred by a shoulder injury, but he managed to start 10 games at free safety and made 61 tackles and intercepted two passes.

“He hurt his shoulder in training camp and he played the whole season with a strap on,” said Colbert. “He went as far as he could. He got through their first 10 games and then he had to give in and have the surgery done, because it just became an unbearable thing for him, so we really admired his ability to play as well as he did with really only one shoulder.”

Edmunds recovered from surgery to participate in half of the drills at the NFL combine, and in those drills he tested spectacularly. At 6 feet, 217 pounds, Edmunds ran his 40 in 4.47 with a 41.5 vertical jump and 11-2 broad jump.

The size, weight, speed and explosiveness helped his grade, but there was that tape of him playing through an injury that caused Edmunds to be overlooked by most of the draft experts, who generally considered him to go anywhere from the third to sixth rounds.

But Edmunds’ head coach at Tech, Justin Fuente, told The Roanoke Times that “Terrell is going to go maybe higher than some other people think.”

Edmunds did. The Steelers surprised the experts by taking him with the 28th pick. It later became known that several other NFL teams had Edmunds rated as a late first-rounder. Fuente had picked up on that buzz.

“I had some conversations with some people —

Terrell Edmunds says he has no preference as to where he lines up in the Steelers defense.

Digest Photo/KARL ROSER

and not Pittsburgh,” Fuente said. “It just led me to believe that all the things I had been seeing for years these people were now seeing in this evaluation process. He was closing hard. They were starting to understand that this is a special young man.”

The Steelers needed an inside linebacker, but weren’t going to reach. And since they had brought in free agent Morgan Burnett to replace departed free safety Mike Mitchell, they didn’t really need a safety. But, the Steelers did need someone to replace the departed Will Gay as their dime linebacker. And since they still needed depth at inside linebacker, Edmunds figures to help all of it come together like some kind of Bud Foster 4-25 concoction.

“Without question,” Tomlin said of Edmunds fitting into a similar alignment here. “And again, no speculation there. You saw him handle that job for Coach Foster within the schematics of their defense.”

It means Edmunds should be able to find a spot even with the acquisitions of Burnett and linebacker Jon Bostic, the return to health of linebacker Tyler Matakevich, and the continued development of safety Sean Davis and the other subpackage specialist, Mike Hilton.

“We’re going to sort all of those things out,” Tomlin said. “The big thing is we’ve got viable, competent guys. And that’s a good thing. There are more than two safety positions when you’re talking about sub-package football, so we’ve got some viable guys. We’ll sort them out and put them in the best position to help us play the best brand of ball we want to play.”

Edmunds wasn’t the only box safety drafted by the Steelers. They added Penn State’s fifth all-time tackler, Marcus Allen, in the fifth round, and the question of whether the two hard-tackling safeties could help at inside linebacker was broached again later.

“There is a significant difference between a base linebacker and a base safety,” Tomlin said. “But when you start getting into sub packages and situational football, those lines bleed together in terms of the positions that those guys play. It’s not only something that’s revealed through our play, but it’s revealed through everyone’s play. I just mentioned the other day when we were talking about Edmunds. When you watch Virginia Tech tape within Bud Foster’s scheme you saw him do a lot of things. You saw him play free, you saw him play strong, you saw him play sub-package linebacker, and I just really think that’s an indication of where football is these days.”

Edmunds, of course, doesn’t care where he plays.

“Wherever you put me, I’ll be able to make a play for you,” he said. “It’s really honestly where you put me. I can learn the position and then I’ll just go out there and put my 100 percent into every play. That’s my mind-set.”

Fuente is the guy who’s watched Edmunds on a day-in, day-out basis. The Tech coach was asked if Edmunds was a significant chess piece in his famed coordinator’s 4-2-5, a base defense that was asked to defend both spread and power offenses with equal ability.

“Yes, absolutely,” Fuente said. “You’ve got to be able to tackle the tailback in the box and cover people out wide.

“I’m certainly not an expert on the NFL game, and don’t claim to be. I just know the versatility that Terrell brings you. I mean, he played so many different spots. Not just from a knowledge standpoint but from a physical standpoint, being able to do those things was pretty special.

“I really think people are going to be limited by their own imagination on what they want to do with him. I mean, he can cover, he can make plays in space, he can slide into the box and defend the run. However they choose to use him I think they’re going to be pleased with it.”

STEELERS DIGEST • 11

2018 DRAFT |

FIRST ROUND ANALYSIS

Behind the Edmunds pick

By BOB LABRIOLA Editor On Monday before the draft began, the Steelers talked about the ways in which specialization has become more a part of college football recently, and late on Day 1 of the picking they used their first-round selection on a player who is a product of that specialization. The belief was that the Steelers needed to come out of this draft having bettered themselves at inside linebacker and at safety, and based on his college resume, Terrell Edmunds could help them a little bit at both of those positions.

As expected, the theme of this draft’s first round had to do with the frenzy with which the quarterbacks were pursued, and by the time the Baltimore Ravens concluded things by selecting Lamar Jackson 32nd overall, the 2018 draft produced the most quarterbacks picked in the first round since 1999, with five.

The Steelers didn’t participate in any of that mania, but their interest in Edmunds and players like him can be traced directly to why so many quarterbacks were picked early this year and what that says about the way offenses are evolving in the NFL. Baker Mayfield (to Cleveland), Sam Darnold (to the New York Jets), Josh Allen (to Buffalo), Josh Rosen (to Arizona), and Jackson (to Baltimore) were the quarterbacks responsible for the history-making element of the first round, but the Steelers made some news in their own right when they traded wide receiver Martavis Bryant to the Oakland Raiders for a third-round pick, the 79th overall selection in this draft.

“As we’ve stated throughout the winter, we weren’t interested in trading Martavis,” said General Manager Kevin Colbert. “We weren’t making calls in that regard. Teams were calling us.

Really, when they’d call, they weren’t offering anything that would interest us in trading a player of his caliber. But then when it got to the third round, we thought that was something that was very interesting to us, and we pulled the trigger on that deal.

We wish Martavis nothing but the best. We’re happy to have an extra pick (Friday). Now we’ve got three picks (Friday). Since we don’t have that fourth-round pick, that actually makes up for that vacancy in the fourth.”

When that deal was announced, sometime around 10 p.m., the assumption was the Steelers were going to use the draft capital acquired for Bryant to move up in the first round. Based on 12 • STEELERS DIGEST

First-round pick Terrell Edmunds arrived at the Steelers facility prepared to make a quick impact on the defense.

Digest Photo/KARL ROSER

where the Steelers were picking in the round, and based on where the drafting process was at the time the trade was announced, it was a reasonable assumption because a fair cost for such a move would have been a third-round pick.

“When you get an extra pick, that’s always an opportunity, but we said if we get the third-round pick (for Bryant), we’ll do it,” said Colbert. “But then at worst, we’re going to have a No. 2 and two No. 3s like we did last year. I know there are plenty of good players still available, so having that (extra) third-round pick in our pocket is very valuable. When you have extra picks, sure, you can always look to trade up, but we’re extremely happy to get a young man like Terrell Edmunds because he does fill that void of a nice young defender in the back end.”

The Ravens had traded down from their original 16th overall pick in the first round to 22nd overall, but then the Ravens traded down again, this time to 25th overall. That first trade was with the Bills, who used the pick to select Tremaine Edmunds, Terrell’s younger brother and a linebacker at Virginia Tech, and then the second trade was with the Titans, who used the pick to select Alabama

linebacker Rashaan Evans. With those two linebackers off the board, the Steelers’ interest turned to the defensive backs who remained available, and their interest specifically was in the older of the two Edmunds brothers.

“Terrell Edmunds is a very gifted, athletic, physical safety who has played free safety, who has played strong safety, who may rotate from one to the other within the same play,” said Colbert. “He not only has the physical ability to do that, but what really impressed us was his mental ability to be able to move and make the adjustments and really be the quarterback on the back-end of a really good defense (at Virginia Tech).”

When the offseason program began for the Steelers on April 16, one of the observations veteran cornerback Joe Haden made about the playoff loss to Jacksonville was that miscommunication and poor discipline that led to missed assignments were culprits in the defense’s implosion that day.

The three significant moves made so far this offseason — the signing of unrestricted free agents Jon Bostic and Morgan Burnett, and the pick of Edmunds on the first round of the draft — were made with the idea of fixing those problems.

Another quality of Edmunds’ that impressed the Steelers was his toughness. Edmunds injured his shoulder during the Hokies’ training camp in preparation for the 2017 season, but he played the first 10 games of their season before having to have surgery done once the injury became unbearable. And just like T.J. Watt last year, Edmunds comes from an NFL family. His father, Ferrell Edmunds, was a tight end for the Miami Dolphins back when Colbert worked in that team’s personnel department.

“Anything that you can imagine (Edmunds) doing, you saw him do on Virginia Tech’s defensive tape within Coach Bud Foster’s scheme,” said Coach Mike Tomlin. “You saw him play free safety.

You saw him play strong safety. You saw him play deep middle. You saw him play half-field. You saw him play sub-package linebacker in there alongside his brother. That versatility was exciting. We were just talking here the other day about specialization and things that you’re able to do with sub packages. You’re not speculating in that evaluation (of Edmunds). You saw him do a number of things that will be on the menu for him. We got a sharp, young, versatile guy who’s a very good communicator and who plays with physicality. Quite simply, he checked all the boxes for us.”

“We got a sharp, young, versatile guy who’s a communicator and who plays with physicality.”

2018 DRAFT |

JAMES WASHINGTON • WR • OKLAHOMA STATE • HT: 5-11 • WT.: 213 • ROUND: 2 (60th overall)

No. 2 pick: small town, big talent

By TERESA VARLEY Assistant Editor In a state where everything is larger than life, Stamford, Texas, is the complete opposite.

The population is around 3,000. The city is small, only 12.9 square miles, 6.9 of those square miles covered by water. And there are just two stoplights. Yes, two.

One of the biggest attractions fits the area perfectly, the Cowboy Country Museum. It’s also home to the Texas Cowboy Reunion, now in its 88th year as the world’s largest amateur rodeo, and attracting numbers way beyond the population of the city.

When you look at the list of notable individuals who came from Stamford, it’s not long, and they aren’t the names you hear every day.

On that list, though, is someone familiar to the Steelers.

James Washington.

Washington, the wide receiver from Oklahoma State the Steelers selected in the second round of the 2018 NFL draft, is the talk of the town in a town where everybody knows each other. The hometown kid, the one who worked at the cattle auction, cut grass and swept the sidewalks at the local funeral home and worked at Cowpokes Country Store, which has since closed its doors.

The high school athlete who didn’t stick to just football, but also basketball, track and tennis, where he was first-team all-region, and earned a black belt in tae kwon do and also golfed in his “free time.”

He is the pride of Stamford. And that is something he takes pride in.

“It’s home,” said Washington. “It’s a great place. I love it. It’s not big. It’s not city life. Some people love the city. That’s not me.”

One of the things he loves most about home, is the area that surrounds Stamford, an area rich in farmland, where he developed the strong work habits he brings with him to the Steelers.

His father, James Washington Sr., believed in hard work, spending his days working on area farms and ranches, not afraid of the blazing Texas sun. And his son joined him, mainly in the summer when the sun was at its hottest.

“I remember heading out at 6:30 in the morning, we would stop at the little convenience store and he’d get a cup of coffee, I’d get a Gatorade or chips or something, and we’d head out to the farm,” said Washington. “Probably head in and get some lunch, then go back out after. Hard days.

“My dad, he mainly farms cotton and wheat.

James Washington has come a long way since his days in Stamford, Texas.

Digest PhotoKARL ROSER

Cotton is more of a technical crop where everything has to be perfect. Rows have to be straight and everything. It takes a lot of work. For my dad, he’s like a one-man job. He’s got a guy that helps him every once in a while, but he’s getting older, so every chance I get home I try to go help him and do what I can.”

His love of farming, his love of the land, his love of hunting and fishing, inspired him to earn a degree in Agricultural Business at Oklahoma State.

It also inspired him to work hard, to never be afraid of a little bit of sweat to get what you want.

“I grew up working,” said Washington. “If I wasn’t in school or practice, I was helping my dad on the farm, or in the garage or around the house. I can’t tell you how many times I hauled hay when I was in high school. My dad wanted me to do it for strength and stamina. On those hot summer days, it definitely made me a good athlete.

“If you want to reap the benefits you have to put

in work. Just like when we’re on a farm, if you want good crops you have to put in good work.

Everything has got to be right. My dad always told me, ‘If you don’t do it right, you’re going to have to do it again.’ And that’s something that always stuck with my mind. So every time I’m on the field I’m going to try to do it right the first time.”

His dream to manage a farm or ranch might have to be on hold for a while, as the other dream he had is now a reality.

“Just to get that call from Coach (Mike) Tomlin on draft night, it just felt like a dream come true,” said Washington. “I dreamt of this as a kid and to get to this point and be here now is everything to me. I grew up watching the Cowboys just because it was close. As a kid, you look up to guys on those platforms that are at this level because they say only 2 percent of college players make the NFL. So to be amongst that 2 percent, it shows how much you worked.”

STEELERS DIGEST • 15

2018 DRAFT |

MASON RUDOLPH • QB • OKLAHOMA STATE • HT: 6-5 • WT.: 235 • ROUND: 3 (76th overall)

Perfect situation for Rudolph

By TERESA VARLEY Assistant Editor If you look at Mason Rudolph’s shoulder, you might notice something. And, no, I am not talking about the powerful arm that could one day be the key to making the Steelers offense go.

What you might see is a chip. One that will motivate the Steelers third-round draft pick for a long time.

“It’ll stick with me every minute of every hour from here going forward until the day I die,” said Rudolph. “It’s definitely like a burning fire.”

When Rudolph was a star quarterback at Northwestern High School in Rock Hill, South Carolina, many expected he could end up at South Carolina, a school only 70 miles from his home.

That didn’t happen, due in large part to South Carolina never offering him a scholarship. And they weren’t the only team who didn’t come calling. He received only nine scholarship offers, eventually deciding Oklahoma State gave him the best opportunity since none of the schools close to home were willing to give him a shot.

Fast forward to the 2018 NFL draft. Draft experts had Rudolph expected to go as high as the first round, while others had him in the second or

third. Every team passed over him in the first round, and it happened again in the second. It wasn’t until the third round, when the Steelers traded up three spots for the No. 76 overall pick, that his name was finally called.

“It was agony. It was rough,” said Rudolph.

“Everyone talks about when people have to wait a while and how rough it is. I just remember sitting in my bedroom with my dad and my brother just looking at Twitter, trying to kill the time, and then I got a random call from Pittsburgh. I was immediately thrilled. I kind of had a feeling what it meant.

“Obviously you never know what teams need, but there wasn’t a quarterback taken in the second round. I felt like talent-wise, experience, I was a first-round quarterback.

“Yes, absolutely, 100 percent I have that chip, but I am going to make it positive. I definitely had one coming from high school into college, and from college to now. The draft made it even bigger. It burns me up, and I can’t wait to start playing, and start practicing, and start pouring myself into this building and just get to work. I seriously can’t wait.

“That part of the process is now over. I couldn’t be more thrilled to be in this situation. It was one

of the situations I kind of had my finger on the whole time. I thought if I get a chance to be a part of this organization, one that everyone has nothing but great things to say about it, with a chance to play whenever the time comes, it’s great. I’ll prepare like I’m a starter and compete my butt off to get ready for OTAs and minicamp. It’s something I’ve dreamt about for a long time.”

He won’t have to wait long to do that. Rudolph, who took part in the team’s rookie minicamp, will take part in OTAs over the next month, getting an introduction to the offense and an opportunity to work with Ben Roethlisberger, and learn from watching the master at work.

“Anytime you are blessed to watch a Hall of Famer work, it’s great,” said Rudolph. “I don’t expect Ben to teach me anything; just by the way I watch I expect to learn a lot. I’m going to ask my questions to the staff, to the offensive coordinator and the people around me, and do my best to not badger him with a million questions. I know that I’m going to work my butt off and obviously when you get to go to work with a guy like that, it will rub off on you quick.”

Rudolph did his due diligence before the draft.

After being a victim of colleges not reaching out to

Mason Rudolph says he will carry a chip on his shoulder after getting drafted later than he had anticipated.

Digest Photo/KARL ROSER

16 • STEELERS DIGEST

him, he reached out to several NFL teams in the days leading up to the draft, including texting Steelers offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner. And he quickly got a reply.

“I just kind of checked in with him just to make sure he knew how I felt,” said Rudolph. “I feel like he always knew how I felt about the Steelers and the fit that it would be. It wasn’t much. I just said, ‘Hey, how are doing? Good luck on your end.’

“This was definitely one of the A-list fits and Alist teams where I could see me pour myself into it.”

Rudolph fits the mold of the type of player the Steelers draft. High character, strong values and work ethic. And he embraces three things that have always been at the forefront for the Rooney family ... football, faith and family.

“I didn’t go on many visits before the draft, but the places I did go I kind of got a feel for. Even the language that they use as soon as you get there,” said Rudolph. “It’s been night and day here. I think those points of emphasis that the Rooney family embraces definitely trickle down to the whole organization. You can see from the time you walk in the door, if you’re talking to the equipment manager or if you’re talking to Mr. (Art) Rooney himself. I think it’s going to be a fun fit.”

“I couldn’t be more thrilled to be in this situation. It was one of the situations I kind of had my finger on the whole time.”

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2018 DRAFT |

CHUKWUMA OKORAFOR • T • WESTERN MICHIGAN • HT: 6-6 • WT: 320 • ROUND: 3 (92nd overall)

Raw talent with big upside

By JIM WEXELL Associate Editor Chukwuma Okorafor broke a dry spell for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The 6-6, 320-pound tackle out of Western Michigan was drafted in the third round by the Steelers, who had gone five years without using a premium pick (1-3 rounds) on an offensive lineman.

The last time they tried that, 1959 through 1963, a plague of locusts and a 19-62-1 record descended upon the city.

It was quite grim.

Maybe that’s why Mike Munchak was so merry when he walked into the media room to talk about the selection of “Chuks.”

As in Dukes.

“I didn’t think I’d be standing here today,” Munchak said. “I’m excited.”

In Okorafor, the Steelers drafted a player who’s said to be a natural left tackle, but who Munchak hopes can also play right tackle.

The Steelers are looking for someone to replace the versatile and departed Chrus Hubbard as a swing tackle. Okorafor and Jerald Hawkins are the candidates.

Ideally, Hawkins would take the step up in his third season and Okorafor would spend the time developing, because he needs it.

Okorafor only began playing the game as a junior in high school.

“They’ve done a nice job with him and he’s developed nicely,” Munchak said of Okorafor’s matriculation through Western Michigan. “You see him get better each year, each time out there playing, because it is new to him. That’s kind of exciting for me because you get a guy who doesn’t have a whole lot of bad habits.

“He got away with things because of his size, his arms, his strength, those types of things, which you know he’s not even close to being developed the way he can be.”

Born in Nigeria, raised in Botswana, Okorafor came to the United States — Detroit, Michigan, to be exact — at the age of 12. Two months later, he watched his first football game: Super Bowl LXV between the Steelers and the Green Bay Packers.

Six months after that, the soccer player tried out for his freshman football team as a kicker.

Okorafor transferred schools, ended up at Southfield High, was approached by a coach in gym class and became the starting right tackle his junior year. Obviously, he took to the game.

Chukwuma Okorafor will bring a lot of versatility and athleticism to the Steelers offensive line.

Digest Photo/TAYLOR OLLASON

“From what I understand he had the Ohio States and the Michigans, he had everybody after him,” said Jake Moreland, WMU’s offensive line coach.

“But I think he wanted to go to a place where he knew he was going to be taken care of, and Western ended up being that place.”

Okorafor started 39 games at WMU. Moreland didn’t coach him until he came in with the new staff last year.

“Smart, talented, quick study, hard worker, very determined,” Moreland said. “Obviously coming in as a senior, you’re maybe not tremendously psyched about getting a new coaching staff, but he was very, very receptive to new techniques. He was receptive to just the way we were working in a different way than the old staff was working, maybe, and was always great to be around. He had a great work ethic.”

The Steelers first saw Okorafor in 2016 while scouting wide receiver Corey Davis and right tackle Taylor Moton. Okorafor was the WMU left tackle.

“We followed up and continued to scout him throughout this season,” said GM Kevin Colbert.

“He’s got a very good upside, probably the most unique upside of this whole group.”

Moreland actually taught Okorafor what he had once learned from Munchak as an intern with the Tennessee Titans.

“So I was really excited to see that he was going to be Chuks’ next coach,” Moreland said. “There are a lot of things you can see, just development-wise, from where this young man is going to be able to go.”

Okorafor’s conference call on draft night was a mix of nerves, thick accent, and a speech impediment that kept the interview brief.

“I’m sure having some nerves was also part of when you guys were talking to him,” Moreland said. “The one thing that I tried to reiterate to all the scouts and everyone is we never had any problem communicating when we were on the sideline. We never had any problem communicating calls in between tackle and guard and whatever else we had to do. He never struggled with that at all. And that was the thing I was pleased about because I was a little bit worried when I first met him.”

Moreland, who played tight end in the NFL, said Okorafor is such a good athlete that WMU had put in a pass play for him late last season but never used it. Such hands might give him a better chance to replace Hubbard as the third tackle/tight end.

“He’s got an unbelievable ceiling,” Moreland said. “Like I told the guys who came through, I think his best football is still ahead of him. He is not a finished product. I think he can play right, I think he can play left. I think there’s a chance he maybe can move inside. He’s got great feet, he’s got really good instincts, and he anticipates extremely well.

He asks great questions and he’s very attentive.

And he’s very sharp. When you ask him to recall things, he’s able to recall it with a lot of precision, which is really, really excellent for a guy who’s only been playing football for four, five, six years.

“I think you guys are going to be really happy with what you see, not only as a rookie but in the years to come.”

STEELERS DIGEST • 19

2018 DRAFT |

DAY TWO ANALYSIS

Breaking down Rounds 2-3

By BOB LABRIOLA Editor The first-round picks get the bulk of the attention, they are the most heavily scrutinized, and they come to identify the entire draft class. If the No. 1 pick becomes an All-Pro player, history comes to judge the draft class as a success. Conversely, if the No. 1 pick is a bust, the entire class is tainted.

But the professionals who make their living in the evaluation/picking of college prospects will tell you it’s the second day of the draft that actually is the meat and potatoes of this annual exercise. The second day of an NFL draft contains the second and third rounds, and those players come into the league on four-year contracts that are extremely salary-cap-friendly, and they often are separated from their first-round brethren by tenths of a second in the 40-yard dash, or an inch or two in height, or maybe even by an ill-timed sprained ankle.

The Steelers followed up their first-round selection of safety Terrell Edmunds with three picks in Rounds 2-3, and a team that began the weekend with perceived needs on defense went wide receiver, quarterback, offensive tackle. And they were tickled to have the opportunity.

Because Oakland made the Steelers an offer they couldn’t refuse for Martavis Bryant, the team had an extra third-round pick and also a need at wide receiver. And because D.J. Moore and Calvin Ridley were the only players at that position picked in the first round, there was still a nice complement available from which the Steelers could choose, and they wasted no time taking care of this particular hole on the depth chart.

Four more receivers were picked in the second round before the Steelers had a chance to spend their 60th overall selection, which was the 28th of the round, and that meant there still was a lot of value among the wide receiver prospects still available. Their choice was James Washington, a 5-11, 213-pound receiver from Oklahoma State who may not have been the first receiver picked but his resume makes the case he was the best of those eligible in this draft.

MORE THAN A ONE-TRICK PONY The 2017 Biletnikoff Award winner in 2017 as the nation’s top college receiver, Washington finished his career at Oklahoma State with 4,472 receiving yards, which is No. 2 in Big 12 Conference history. And his career totals of 4,472 20 • STEELERS DIGEST

The Steelers addressed a need at wide receiver when they selected 2017 Biletnikoff Award winner James Washington from Oklahoma State.

AP Photos/PHELAN M. EBENHACK

receiving yards and 39 touchdowns both led all FBS players in 2017. Voted a team captain in 2017, Washington posted nine 100-yard receiving games and three multi-touchdown games.

“We got a chance to get to know this young man. We took him out to dinner when we were at his Pro Day,” said offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner. “We also got to meet with him at the combine, and he’s a very interesting young man.

He has his degree in what I believe is agriculture.

He’s a farmer. A tough guy, runs fast, scores touchdowns. I believe he started 43 games and scored 39 touchdowns.”

When they went shopping for a wide receiver in the second round, the Steelers were looking for a specific characteristic in the player, and that characteristic was the combination of skills that would make him a deep threat. Even though Washington wasn’t the fastest guy in terms of stopwatch speed during testing, his game production proved he is a legitimate deep threat. During his three seasons as a starter, Washington had games in which his aver-

age per catch was 33.0, 29.0, 50.0, 36.8, 32.9, 30.3, 26.3, 49.0, and 39.2.

“If you look, you see a lot of long catches,” said Fichtner. “We’ve had fast guys in the past and could count how many times they’ve gotten open deep (on one hand). There’s a lot of ways to (get open deep): by strength, by technique, and by willingness and conditioning.

“In the past and over the years here, we’ve had guys from Mike Wallace to Nate Washington, fast guys who play one spot and they can do one thing,” added Fichtner, “and hopefully in their time and their growth, might be able to do more than one thing and be more than potentially a one-trick pony. (James Washington) comes in with several tricks.”

A BARGAIN TOO GOOD TO IGNORE The Steelers didn’t come into this draft with designs on picking a quarterback, even though

General Manager Kevin Colbert said on the Monday before it began that the team’s philosophy was to compete for a championship today while also keeping an eye trained on the future. During their evaluations for this group of prospects, they found they liked a lot of things about Oklahoma State quarterback Mason Rudolph, the guy who helped make James Washington a second-round pick.

They found they liked Rudolph so much that they placed a first-round grade on him, but when it came time to make their No. 1 pick they went with another guy with a firstround grade who filled a more pressing need: safety Terrell Edmunds. Rudolph wasn’t picked in the first round, and the Steelers believed it was prudent to fill their hole at wide receiver when their turn came around in the second round. When Rudolph wasn’t picked in the second round, either, and things moved into Round 3, the Steelers started to believe they had to find a way to capitalize on this unexpected opportunity.

The Steelers had the 15th pick of the third round, the 79th overall selection of the draft, and when the picking got to the low 70s and Rudolph was still waiting by the phone, they decided to act. The Seattle Seahawks owned the 76th overall pick following an earlier trade with Green Bay, and the Steelers found themselves a trading partner. For the cost of a seventh-round pick, the 220th overall, the Steelers swapped third-round picks with the Seahawks and grabbed Rudolph.

“A pretty accomplished player, at his school I want to say he was 32-9 as a starter,” said Fichtner. “Obviously, there’s a lot of value in wins and he’s a winner. He’s very talented.

Obviously, he throws the deep ball extremely well.

It’s valued here. It’s something that we like to do, and it’s something we’ve done very effectively.”

Rudolph (6-5, 229) was the winningest quarterback in Oklahoma State history, with 10 of his 32 career wins coming in games where the Cowboys trailed during the second half. He finished his career holding 54 school records, including singleseason and career marks for passing yards, passing touchdowns, and pass efficiency. Rudolph ended up ranked fourth in Big 12 history with 13,618 career passing yards and third with an average of 324.2 passing yards per game.

The issue here obviously is how the selection of Rudolph impacts the Steelers depth chart at this position. There are three absolutes — Ben Roethlisberger sits atop the depth chart as the starter, Rudolph will be on the 53-man roster in 2018 because quarterbacks who are third-round

The Steelers moved up three spots in the third round for the chance to land Oklahoma State quarterback Mason Rudolph.

situations. He actually had to sit in the pocket. They asked him to sit in the pocket and throw seven-step-drop passes and attack intermediate zones and make plays off shotgun-play-action.”

SOME CLAY FOR MUNCHAK TO MOLD

picks don’t get cut in their first training camp, and there won’t be four quarterbacks on the regular season roster. That means Landry Jones and Joshua Dobbs will spend the next several months fighting for a roster spot.

One of the knocks on Big 12 quarterbacks is that they’re products of the system, that they lack many of the basics required of NFL quarterbacks, such as calling plays in a huddle and taking snaps under center. While Fichtner has no delusions that Rudolph is coming to the team as completely NFLready, he also said the Steelers’ evaluation indicated Rudolph comes with a lot of what the pros look for in quarterbacks.

“I think he shows anticipation (in making his throws),” said Fichtner. “Obviously there’s the welldocumented ability to throw the deep ball, the ability to push the ball down the field, and Oklahoma State’s offensive system isn’t necessarily what you might consider a short system of a lot of quick, small, short throws and catch-and-run type

Another goal the Steelers had for the second day of this draft was to add a developmental prospect at tackle to create competition to fill the void created by Chris Hubbard leaving as an unrestricted free agent. They took care of that when they added Chukes Okorafor with their second pick of the third round, the 92nd overall selection of this draft.

Okorafor, 6-6, 320, was born in Nigeria and wasn’t exposed to football until his sophomore year in high school in Southfield, Michigan. A couple of years later, he was ranked the No. 11 high school recruit in the state, and he ended up with a scholarship to Western Michigan, where he started 39 games. Now, Okorafor gets a chance to learn from one of the all-time greats, a Hall of Fame player and a renowned position coach.

“He’s had, I guess three or four years of playing offensive line,” said offensive line coach Mike Munchak, “so they’ve done a nice job with him and he’s developed nicely. And you see him get better each year, each time out there playing, because it is new to him and that’s kind of exciting for me because you get a guy who doesn’t have a whole lot of bad habits. Chukes got away with things because of his size, his arms, his strength, those type of things which lets you know he’s not even close to being developed the way he can be. So, I’m just real excited about all the upside he has and looking forward to working with him and teaching him our technique, teaching him how we do things. And the group we have in that room will be great for him. They will teach him the game in a lot of ways, how to prepare, how to work, the work ethic. We have great leaders in our room with (Maurkice) Pouncey and those guys, David (DeCastro), Ramon (Foster), who will be great for a young guy like this. I think they are going to really like him, and I think he will just add another element to our room with competition.”

STEELERS DIGEST • 21

2018 DRAFT |

MARCUS ALLEN • S • PENN STATE • HT: 6-2 • WT: 215 • ROUND: 5 (148th overall)

CAREER NOTES Became the sixth player in Penn State history to reach the 300-tackle mark in a career, finishing fifth in school history with 321 stops…produced double-digit tackles in nine games.

2017 SEASON First-team All-Big Ten accolades from the coaches and second-team honors from the media…Associated Press first-team All-Big Ten selection…earned the Lott IMPACT Trophy Player of the Week after recording 13 tackles vs. Pittsburgh…started all 13 games, totaling 72 tackles (46 solo) with one interception and two forced fumbles…selected as a team captain…one of 21 Penn State players to enter the Fiesta Bowl having already earned a degree.

2016 SEASON All-Big Ten third-team selection by the coaches and honorable mention by the media panel…selected Big Ten Co-Defensive Player of the Week for a 22-tackle game vs.

Minnesota…started all 14 games…posted 10 tackles or more in three games…recorded a career-high 110 tackles en route to becoming the first safety to lead Penn State in tackles since 2002 (Shawn Mayer).

2015 SEASON Named All-Big Ten honorable mention by the coaches and media…started all 12 games…finished second on the Nittany Lions defense with 81 tackles.

2014 SEASON Appeared in 13 games with seven starts…started the final seven games of the season…tied for third on the squad with 58 tackles (35 solo), along with adding three pass breakups and one sack…part of a defense that held 11 of 13 opponents to under 300 yards of total offense and limited nine teams to 20 or fewer points in regulation.

HIGH SCHOOL A three-year letterman at Dr. Henry Wise (Upper Marlboro, Md.) High School…posted 15 tackles and two fumble recoveries in three games as a senior before suffering an ankle injury…as a junior, helped advance the Pumas to a perfect 14-0 record and the Maryland 4A State Championship…produced 70 tackles, three interceptions and 10 pass breakups in junior year…was invited to participate in the Big 33 Classic and Maryland Crab Bowl following his senior year.

WHAT HE SAID What are you so happy about? I’m coming home, I’m coming home! That’s why I’m happy.

22 • STEELERS DIGEST

now so everything I do is strictly for me and my body so I am just very excited right now.

Can you talk about what you learned at Penn State that allowed you to advance to the next level? Just being way more mature and everyone being in a brotherhood. If everyone buys into the coaches’ method and the plan, everything is going to click and work itself out. So that is what I learned at Penn State. I just grew into a man.

Did you grow up a Steelers fan or Ravens?

Steelers fan. I got all this Steelers gear in my room. I just walked in my room and grabbed the hat off my stand and just put it on because I had so much Steelers gear.

WHAT THE STEELERS SAID Defensive backs coach Tom Bradley Opening statement: Marcus is a big hitter, a good special team player, and gives us some versatility in the secondary. We are awful excited to get him. We know a lot about this young man. Some local people here Coach Terry Smith, from Gateway High School, coached him, he coached him. So, we have gotten to know this young man through the process of the draft.

Coach, he is known as a solid tackler, how important is that to you? To me, he is a bigtime tackler. He will strike you, that’s one thing, he is a very physical tackle. He is real Digest Photo/KARL ROSER physical person around the ball. Probably the best part of his game is how physical he Your dad is from Homewood, right? Yes, he’s is. When we watched and followed him strike peofrom Homewood. ple at different times, he gets after you pretty Did you spend any time in Pittsburgh as a youth? good.

Yeah, I know the area pretty well. I’ve been around What can he do in pass coverage? At Penn State there for all of the summers. It’s just amazing, he plays some two-deep, he plays some invert, he amazing feeling. plays free. They move him around a lot. When he’s Marcus, a bunch of the Penn State players came around the ball, it’s what he does best. I think that’s down for a Steelers game, were you apart of that the thing that we took notice on. I think his physibunch? It was me, Saquon (Barkley), Troy Apke and cality is something. He’s a big kid, room for growth.

Trace (McSorley). We came down to see the We’re excited about him.

Steelers game.

He ranks fifth in Penn State history in tackles, How did that come about, why did you guys probably first for a DB. What does that say about come down for that game? (Michael) Shuster on him? He’s got 45 starts. He started, I think, seven our team. He’s a walk-on quarterback and his games as a true freshmen I believe, and he’s startgrandfather was getting inducted into the Hall of ed every game since. I think he missed one game Fame. So, he invited all of us to come. because of an injury factor but he started a lot of That happened in November or December, did games. He’s played a lot of football. I have not you ever think you would be in this position a few watched him a lot on special teams, but I would months later? That was the plan. That was definiteimagine he is a heck of a special teams player. ly the plan. Everybody is static right now.

What can you say about his versatility? Yeah, I Everybody is going crazy, so I am just out of breath think he can do a lot of things for us. It hasn’t been right now. discussed yet but I think he can move inside if we What do you need to do better as a pro? I am need him to do it, if he needs to play dime or do definitely going to work on every aspect of my some other things in our scheme. He should be game, whether that is form tackling, creating more able to do it. He certainly has the physical tools to turnovers, coverage, everything. So, I am just going get it done. to literally be working my butt off. Just is my job

2018 DRAFT |

JAYLEN SAMUELS • RB • N.C. STATE • HT: 6-0 • WT.: 225 • ROUND: 5 (165th overall)

CAREER NOTES Set the North Carolina State record for receptions in a career (202) and ranked second in school history in total touchdowns (47), fourth in touchdown catches (19) and sixth in touchdown runs (28)…his 47 touchdowns were third-most in the Atlantic Coast Conference...was the only active player in the nation with at least 15 career rushing and 15 career receiving touchdowns, and the first to boast those numbers since at least 2004…caught at least one reception in 41 straight games – the fifth-best active steak in the FBS and a program record.

2017 SEASON Invited to play in the 2018 Reese’s Senior Bowl…started all 13 games…first-team AllAtlantic Coast choice as an all-purpose player…third-team selection by the Associated Press as a tight end…hauled in 76 receptions – the third-best mark in school history…tied Torry Holt’s school record with 15 receptions in the season opener…his 12 rushing touchdowns stand seventh in a single-season in school history.

2016 SEASON Honored with jersey No. 1...a third-team All-ACC choice by the league’s coaches and an honorable mention by media…started 10of-13 games played…led the team with 55 catches - ninth-best mark in school history…named the MVP in the Indolence Bowl win vs. Vanderbilt, scoring three touchdowns.

2015 SEASON A first-team All-ACC performer and a third-team All-American…started 10-of-13 games played…had more receptions (65) than any tight end in the nation…his 65 catches were the fifthbest mark in North Carolina State history…scored 16 total touchdowns (nine rushing / 7 receiving), tying Torry Holt (1998) as the third-best mark in a single-season in school history…earned the Torry Holt Award as the team’s most valuable offensive player…scored three touchdowns on four carries in the season opener.

2014 SEASON Appeared in 13 games (two starts)…gained 143 rushing yards on 15 carries and added six catches for 96 yards and a touchdown.

HIGH SCHOOL Played running back and H-back at Mallard Creek (Charlotte, N.C) High School…helped lead the team to a 16-0 record and the NC 4AA state title, scoring five total touchdowns (three rushing and two receiving) in the title game…rushed for

a little bit about him. My dad, he’s a huge Pittsburgh Steelers fan so it’s kind of crazy right now. I know a little bit about him. I haven’t really studied his game as much but I know he’s a good football player. He makes a lot of plays for you guys.

How did your role evolve during your time at NC State? It was fun. They asked me to do a lot of different things for all four years.

After having two different coordinators my freshman and sophomore year and switching to a different coordinator with a spread-style offense, they asked me to do a lot of things.

The last two years I was there, they wanted me to be more of a true receiver split out in the slot-type guy, so I was able to do anything they wanted me to do.

How did your dad become a Steelers fan?

Oh man, I don’t know. He just always liked them growing up I guess. He’s excited right now and so am I, so it’s a good time right now.

Were you also a Steelers fan? No, I wasn’t.

I was a Dallas Cowboys fan, but hey, I got the opportunity, so I’m a Steelers fan now.

Why do you think you had a knack for making big plays? That’s just what I have been doing all my life – just scoring touchdowns, making plays for my team, for my Digest Photo/KARL ROSER teammates and coaches. That’s just what I do. I have a knack for the end zone and I look 1,404 yards on 109 carries and 39 touchdowns as a forward to doing that at the next level as well. senior, adding 49 catches for 932 yards and 16 WHAT THE STEELERS SAID touchdown catches as a senior…a 2013 Associated Press allstate selection and the Charlotte Running backs coach James Saxon Mecklenburg I-Meck Offensive Player of the Year.

Opening statement: Kid is a very talented, multi-

WHAT HE SAID What do you do best? My versatility. Being able to catch the ball, run the ball, make guys miss in open space. I feel like that’s my specialty.

Are you going to try to be a little bit of everything or just one position? I mean, I’ll do whatever Coach Mike Tomlin will ask me to do. If that’s playing running back, let’s play running back. If that’s split out wide to catch balls, I’ll do that. whatever they want me to do when I get there, I am willing to do.

What can you tell us about you running style?

I’m more of a power-style running back. A guy that’s going to get North to South. Our team at NC State, we ran a lot of outside zone, so once we ran outside zone, I just tried to hit it downhill, make guys miss. I’m a stiff-arm type guy. That’s my specialty, the stiff arm. Just try to get around guys and make guys miss so that’s the kind of runner I am.

Smart runner, got a lot of good football IQ so just got a little knack for the end zone. That’s just what I do.

What do you know about Roosevelt Nix? I know

purpose kid that has done a lot of different jobs.

He’s going to get every opportunity once he comes here to do a lot different jobs. I am looking forward to getting this kid on the grass.

Has he ever had a full chance as a tailback all the way or really concentrate on that? I think the value in a kid like him, for a coach, is you can use him in a lot of different areas like N.C. State did. In terms if whether or not he got an opportunity purely just a running back, that doesn’t really matter at this point to me or what we saw when we were evaluating him in the draft.

Are you going to give him that opportunity early? Absolutely. That’s why he got drafted. He is going to get an opportunity to do everything we do in our room in terms of being a running back.

What all did he do well at NC State? He caught the ball well, obviously when, I think, he had a 15catch game he had this year. The kid answers the bell in a lot of different ways. You can also see him run the ball in different situations. I believe he had a big run against Pitt towards the end of the game, when they came to play Pitt last year.

STEELERS DIGEST • 23

2018 DRAFT |

JOSHUA FRAZIER • DT • ALABAMA • HT: 6-3 • WT: 321 • ROUND: 7 (246th overall)

CAREER NOTES Played in 40 career games at Alabama, totaling 28 tackles (11 solo), 4.5 tackles for losses, 2.0 sacks, one forced fumble and three passes defensed.

2017 SEASON Played in all 14 games, recording 15 tackles (8 solo) with 2.5 stops for loss…added a forced fumble, one quarterback hurry and three passes defensed.

2016 SEASON Saw action in 14-of-15 possible games…posted 8 tackles, one sack and a tackle for a loss.

2015 SEASON Appeared in six games as a reserve defensive tackle...tallied 4 tackles (1 solo).

2014 SEASON Part of Alabama’s rotation along the defensive line, playing in six games.

HIGH SCHOOL Played at Har-Ber (Springdale, Ark.) High School…selected to participate in the U.S. Army AllAmerican Bowl…an Arkansas All-State selection as a junior, making 65 tackles with seven stops for loss and 3.5 sacks.

WHAT HE SAID How much were the Steelers in contact with you prior to you being selected? I had (been in contact) a pretty good amount. They came to my Pro Day. Obviously, I had that coaching connection with Coach (Karl) Dunbar. He helped coach me. I’m just super blessed to be here. I’m in shock right now.

I’m at a loss for words.

What’s your relationship with Coach Dunbar?

He’s a really good guy. He coached me up so well.

He taught me about the pass rush game and really just how to be a better pass rusher. Then I also obviously had Coach Bo (Davis), who’s with the Detroit Lions. He was trying to get me too, and I’m just super blessed that it worked out and one of my former coaches got me.

Did you dine with the Steelers before your Pro Day? Yes sir. Me and a couple other of my teammates went out and we just got to talking with all the coaches. Me and my teammates, basically the whole defense, we all just went out and dined with the Steelers. It was just talking football and they were congratulating us on the National Championship Game and the season we played.

How do you look back on your college career, and do you regret having not been a starter? I have no regrets. Things turned out the way they did.

(Da’Ron) Payne is Payne in his own right, but I feel like I have some of the same traits that he brings to the table. Once I got out there I took advantage of 24 • STEELERS DIGEST

Digest Photo/KARL ROSER

my opportunities and it helped me get to this point right now, and I’m just ready for this new chapter in my life.

I’m guessing that you didn’t let it get to you, kept working and that’s why your coach wanted to bring you to the next level? Yes sir. Again, he taught me so much and that’s why he trusted me in games. When I went out there to do my thing, he trusted me to do my job and that’s what I did.

WHAT THE STEELERS SAID Defensive line coach Karl Dunbar Opening statement: I think he’s strong at the point. He can push the pocket, and the good thing about it, I coached him the last two years.

What did he do well for you last year that made you guys take him? We won the national championship. So, it wasn’t bad. It wasn’t bad at all.

What were his attributes that you liked about him? Like I said, I think he’s a big, strong kid. He can demand two blockers. He had a sack for us in the first playoff game against Clemson. He had a sack last year against Washington. So he’s a big, athletic kid who you can’t find a lot of and when you do, you’ve got to take advantage of it.

He’s an under-the-radar guy who didn’t start many games for you at Alabama? No, he didn’t start many games because you know, Jonathan Allen, Da’Ron Payne, (Jarran) Reed, (Cam) Robinson, Da’Shawn Hand, Isaiah Buggs. They’ve got a couple more kids who are still at Alabama.

So, I think it worked out and hopefully his best football is in front of him.

You’re a big key to this draft pick. You knew what makes this guy tick? Yeah, I just think the key to the draft was (Kevin) Colbert and (Mike) Tomlin.

They do everything. We just give them our little input on the players that we have to look at. I think

they did a great job, and he was still on the table so we got him.

How different was your evaluation process for Frazier considering you coached him for two years?

I tried to watch the film and the good thing about it, I had already seen the film for the last two years, so I got to know the kid intimately, know what he can do and know what I think he is capable of doing.

Like a lot of the Alabama kids, he was highly touted coming out high school, right? Yeah, I think he was a five-star kid out of Arkansas, and he played a lot his freshman year until he got hurt his second year and that’s when Da’Ron Payne came in and took over that job. It’s the luck of the draw sometimes when you go to a team that has a lot of talent.

It’s almost like, some people say, that Wally Pipp story — he took a day off and never got his job back. Hopefully this kid can do some t hings that we think he can and it will be fun coaching him again.

What does Frazier need to work on? I just think most kids, I would say, just being a pro. Coming to work every day, he doesn’t have to worry about school anymore and getting along with the kids — the men — in the locker room. I think those kinds of things because, I think, anything else I say about the kid, you’re basically talking about me because I coached him for the last two years. I just think the things that we’re going to teach him and going to emphasize to him is going to help him be a better football player.

What does it mean to you to get your hands on a draft pick in your first year with the Steelers? It’s awesome. Just to have kids, I mean, you’ve got six, seven kids here that are doing their thing, but now you have a kid that you’re bringing in as a rookie that you’ll be able to mold in the Pittsburgh Steelers system. So I think that’s the great thing about it.

JUST MY OPINION |

JIM WEXELL

Big Ben, Tyler and Terrell From the notebook of a sportswriter who’s believing the Steelers have a better chance of winning a seventh title this season with each passing day: • One of the statistics-driven websites released its post-draft power rankings that had the Steelers and Patriots ranked 2 and 1, respectively.

• FootballPerspective.com put the justannounced Las Vegas point spreads for every game into a computer to spit out those rankings. Not sure how well it’s proven in the past. Don’t think I had heard of the site until now. But I’m using it as an excuse for an optimism bubbling with some other developments.

• The first such development was the drafting of quarterback Mason Rudolph. More specifically, the effect the drafting of Rudolph seems to be having on Ben Roethlisberger.

• During a radio interview, Roethlisberger didn’t come off as tickled by the choice. And I understand why: The man is sticking up first for the other quarterbacks with whom he’s worked the last year plus.

• Understand that rookies are snubbed by veterans for mainly that reason. Anyone remember what one salty ol’ vet said about Roethlisberger the rookie?

• It really wasn’t a big deal then, nor is it now.

But I bring up Roethlisberger because Rudolph will no doubt inspire him, and that rising tide will better float all boats.

• The other development is the picture of Tyler Matakevich not smiling to me when I said hello during rookie camp. This, I thought, was pretty much impossible for the affable linebacker, who can’t help but smile. He even remained cordial when the Steelers brought in that sourpuss Zach Mettenberger. They put the fourth-string QB next to Matakevich in the locker room, but as hard as Mettenberger tried, he could not sour young Matakevich.

• But here was Tyler staring straight through me as he nodded back a hello. He had been injured the same day Ryan Shazier went down and wasn’t able to help the paper-thin position, which was then shredded by Jacksonville. After that game, Vince Williams vowed to memorialize every cross word written about the defense (and no doubt his position) in the offseason. And that criticism has come.

• Was Matakevich feeling sting from that criticism? From the media’s consensus desire to draft a linebacker? Or did I just catch Tyler at a bad time?

• Regardless, I noticed his added weight up top and lost weight in the middle, and then I patted

Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers were ranked second in a stats-driven website’s post-draft NFL power rankings.

Digest Photo/KARL ROSER

him on the back and realized this is one rocked-up, serious middle linebacker.

• I’m not saying Matakevich will be the answer.

I’m just saying that he’s not the only player determined to prove critics wrong. There’s some salt in this mine right now.

• Roethlisberger complained in the aforementioned radio interview that the Steelers could have helped the defense instead of drafting Rudolph.

But I had to chuckle because he sounded just like the media guys who were asking him the questions.

None of them had a clue as to what kind of talent was available, or unavailable, at that point in the draft.

• I have my own opinions about the outside linebackers who were available and the level of the current Steelers at that position, but to all of us on the outside who were looking at inside linebackers, there were two: Genard Avery and Malik Jefferson.

• The former, it turned out, had a medical issue with his knee. The latter – who was drafted by the Bengals after the Steelers traded up to steal Rudolph from them – can’t tackle. And that’s when his poor instincts put him in the right place to miss the tackle.

• Granted, Jefferson is a beautiful athlete who can run sideline to sideline and turn his hips and cover. But in my humble opinion he doesn’t have good instincts at an instinct-driven position.

• Of course, I thought Vontaze Burfict was overrated coming out, too, and that Bengals ILB proved me wrong — his notorious play demeanor aside.

• Anyway, it’ll be easy to watch Malik Jefferson if you want to compare and contrast with Rudolph through the years.

• In this space last month, I spent two graphs on why Rudolph would make a great pick — in the first round. In fact, in my personal-preference Steelers mock, I did take Rudolph in the first round. My safety was taken in the third round, a slot corner/safety/little linebacker named M.J. Stewart.

• Instead, the Steelers got a better slot corner/safety/little linebacker in Terrell Edmunds in the first, and still got Rudolph.

• Once again it’s Steelers 1, Wexell 0.

• There’s also the benefit of Ben not flipping out about having a first-rounder in his rearview. Twonil.

• In Edmunds, it appears the Steelers are going back to the Polamalu style of strong safety. I presume that will be Edmunds’ position one day. As we know from our breathless Sean Davis reporting, that position has been a critical playmaking piece through eight Steelers Super Bowl appearances.

• Was/is Davis a failure at that position? Some of us put him in the Carnell Lake style of strong safety, but plays have been few and far. Davis will apparently continue as the strong safety this spring, with Morgan Burnett likely at free safety.

But Davis’ range might present a prettier picture of a future back there with Edmunds.

• Regardless of specifics, the Steelers have some new defensive pieces. Mike Hilton is a heady striker, too. Marcus Allen is the fifth tackler in Penn State history. Bring them together with Burnett, Davis and Edmunds, and, as Virginia Tech Coach Justin Fuente told me after the draft, “I really think people are going to be limited by their own imagination on what they want to do.”

• He was talking about Edmunds specifically, but it may as well stand for the defense in general.

• The fact the Steelers now have the defensive talent to test their coaches’ imaginations is another one of those aforementioned developments, or reasons I’m agreeing today with FootballPerspective.com.

STEELERS DIGEST • 25

STEELERS ROSTER

(Listed numerically by position; as of May 17)

DEFENSIVE LINEMEN

QUARTERBACKS NO. 2 3 5 7

NAME Mason Rudolph Landry Jones Joshua Dobbs Ben Roethlisberger

HT. 6-5 6-4 6-3 6-5

WT. 235 225 216 240

EXP. R 6 1 15

5-11 6-1 6-1 5-9 6-0 6-3 5-11

220 225 233 204 225 210 248

6 6 2 5 R 1 4

6-2 5-8 6-4 5-11 6-2 6-3 5-10 5-11 6-1 5-10 6-2

190 192 203 213 225 192 190 185 215 181 210

R R 6 R 1 1 1 1 2 9 10

COLLEGE Oklahoma State Oklahoma Tennessee Miami (Ohio)

RUNNING BACKS 22 26 30 33 38 39 45

Stevan Ridley Le’Veon Bell James Conner Fitzgerald Toussaint Jaylen Samuels Jake Summers Roosevelt Nix

LSU Michigan State Pittsburgh Michigan N.C. State East Carolina Kent State

WIDE RECEIVERS 10 11 13 14 15 16 18 19 84 88

Damoun Patterson Quadree Henderson Justin Hunter James Washington Tevin Jones Trey Griffey Marcus Tucker Justin Thomas JuJu Smith-Schuster Antonio Brown Darrius Heyward-Bey

Youngstown State Pittsburgh Tennessee Oklahoma State Memphis Arizona Northern Michigan Georgia Tech USC Central Michigan Maryland

TIGHT ENDS 49 80 81 85 87 89

C. Scotland-Williamson Jake McGee Jesse James Xavier Grimble Pharoah McKever Vance McDonald

6-9 6-5 6-7 6-4 6-6 6-4

274 250 261 261 248 267

R 1 4 3 R 6

311 304 295 292 300 311 305 316 318 330 328 305 320 330 320

R 9 R R R 1 2 7 3 2 10 R R 8 4

Longhborough Univ.

Florida Penn State USC Florida International Rice

OFFENSIVE LINEMEN 53 60 61 62 62 65 66 67 71 73 74 76 77 78

R.J. Prince Maurkice Pouncey Parker Collins Larson Graham Patrick Morris Joseph Cheek Jerald Hawkins David DeCastro B.J. Finney Matt Feiler Ramon Foster Chris Schleuger Chukwuma Okorafor Marcus Gilbert Alejandro Villanueva

6-6 6-4 6-3 6-5 6-3 6-7 6-6 6-5 6-4 6-6 6-5 6-4 6-6 6-6 6-9

North Carolina Florida Appalachian State Duquesne TCU Texas A&M LSU Stanford Kansas State Bloomsburg (Pa.) Tennessee UAB Western Michigan Florida Army

NO. 61 62 64 69 74 79 91 93 94 95 96 97

NAME Parker Cothren Greg Gilmore Kendal Vickers Joshua Frazier Casey Sayles Javon Hargrave Stephon Tuitt Daniel McCullers Tyson Alualu Lavon Hooks L.T. Walton Cameron Heyward

HT. 6-4 6-4 6-3 6-3 6-3 6-2 6-6 6-7 6-3 6-3 6-5 6-5

WT. 304 308 295 321 289 305 303 352 304 312 305 295

EXP. R R R R R 3 5 5 9 1 4 8

COLLEGE Penn State LSU Tennessee Alabama Ohio University South Carolina State Notre Dame Tennessee California Mississippi Central Michigan Ohio State

6-1 6-4 6-1 6-3 6-4 6-1 6-0 6-0 6-3 6-4 6-1 6-1 6-2

239 268 235 232 269 209 232 233 255 252 248 233 245

1 1 3 R 4 9 4 1 4 2 R 6 1

Pittsburgh Kentucky Temple Florida State Kentucky Florida Northern Iowa Louisville Miami (Fla.) Wisconsin Toledo Florida State Western Michigan

5-11 6-1 5-11 5-11 6-0 6-2 5-9 6-3 6-0 5-11 6-1 5-11 5-11 5-11 6-0 6-1 6-2

188 202 195 187 197 215 184 215 190 195 217 186 199 170 205 209 235

2 3 8 7 3 R 2 2 R 5 R 3 2 R 1 9 1

Tennessee Maryland Florida Clemson Miami (Fla.) Penn State Mississippi Utah UConn San Diego State Virginia Tech Tarleton State Towson Villanova Penn State Georgia Tech Monmouth

6-5 6-2 6-2 6-4

195 215 185 245

4 2 4 3

Eastern Kentucky Michigan Rice Portland State

6-1

230

5

Ohio State

LINEBACKERS 40 41 44 46 48 51 54 55 56 90 92 98 99

Matt Galambos Farrington Huguenin Tyler Matakevich Matthew Thomas Bud Dupree Jon Bostic L.J. Fort Keith Kelsey Anthony Chickillo T.J. Watt Olasunkanmi Adeniyi Vince Williams Keion Adams

DEFENSIVE BACKS 20 21 23 24 25 27 28 29 30 31 34 35 37 38 39 42 49

Cameron Sutton Sean Davis Joe Haden Coty Sensabaugh Artie Burns Marcus Allen Mike Hilton Brian Allen Jamar Summers Nat Berhe Terrell Edmunds Dashaun Phillips Jordan Dangerfield Trey Johnson Malik Golden Morgan Burnett Darnell Leslie

SPECIALISTS 4 6 9 57

P Jordan Berry P Matt Wile K Chris Boswell LS Kameron Canaday

RESERVE/PUP 50

LB Ryan Shazier

STEELERS DIGEST • 27

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Heath happy to come home

By TERESA VARLEY Assistant Editor Heath Miller glanced over his shoulder, looked out at Heinz Field, and smiled.

“It feels like I am coming back home,” Miller said.

In a sense he was, even if it was just for a few days.

Miller was back in Pittsburgh recently to help roast former teammate Brett Keisel at the Mel Blount Celebrity Roast, an event held at Heinz Field, the place Miller called home for 11 seasons before he retired from the Steelers after the 2015 season.

It was a rare visit for Miller, because coming back isn’t easy. Like many athletes, getting accustomed to retirement was a challenge, and still is.

Miller spent most of his life playing sports, football in particular, so stepping away was more of a struggle than he anticipated.

“It’s a hard adjustment,” said Miller. “I don’t think you can ever really prepare yourself for it. It’s something that has been our passion since we were little kids, and to just leave and move on is difficult.

But it’s something we will all have to do sooner or later.”

While most of Steelers Nation was tuned in to every move the Steelers made, every game played, the last two years, Miller wasn’t. And it wasn’t because he didn’t care. It was just difficult, especially watching games.

“I don’t watch too much,” said Miller. “I think I have gotten better. As I move away from the game a little more it will be easier to watch.”

He misses the competition. He misses game day.

He misses the adrenaline rush. But there is something he misses even more.

“I miss the team the most, being around your brothers every day and your friends,” said Miller. “I think the camaraderie of the team I miss.

“You miss the relationships. You try to keep in touch with as many people as you can. Lives are busy and we don’t get to see each other every day like we used to. We were spoiled in that regard.”

What he doesn’t miss is simple.

“Training camp,” laughed Miller. “We can start there and end there.”

Miller was the Steelers’ No. 1 pick in the 2005 NFL draft. He started 167 of 168 games played during the regular season, and all 15 postseason contests that he played in. Miller’s 168 regular season games played are the most by a tight end in Steelers history.

The memories he etched in the minds of Steelers fans are numerous, too many to name, and too many for him to pinpoint just one that stands out.

Heath Miller made a rare return appearance at Heinz Field recently when he showed up to take part in a roast of former teamDigest Photo/KARL ROSER mate Brett Keisel.

“It’s all great memories,” said Miller. “I was fortunate to be a part of this team for 11 years. You have too many good memories to name one or two.”

Miller retired as the franchise’s all-time leader in receptions (592), receiving yards (6,569) and receiving touchdowns (45) by a tight end. He was a member of the Steelers’ Super Bowl XL and Super Bowl XLIII championship teams, a two-time Pro Bowl selection, and team MVP in 2012.

And there is no question, he was a fan favorite.

Miller never expected that two seasons after he retired that “Heeeaaath” would still be heard when a tight end makes a catch at Heinz Field. But without fail, when Jesse James makes a catch, the Steelers faithful do just that.

“It’s humbling,” Miller said. “It makes you realize and appreciate how passionate the fans were and

how much you were recognized and well-liked by the fans. It means a lot. It’s not taken lightly by any means.

“Steelers fans meant a lot to me. To represent them and to be able to bring joy not only to our lives, but the whole city is behind the team, it means a lot. Guys on the team when I played, and I am sure guys on the team now, don’t take that lightly.

“It was always fun for me to play for the Rooney family, to represent the City of Pittsburgh, the tradition of the Steelers. That was something that was awesome. Not a lot teams have that opportunity throughout the league. I feel fortunate that I was given that by Mr. (Dan) Rooney, Coach (Bill) Cowher, Kevin (Colbert) and the guys who drafted me to be here. I didn’t take that lightly.”

STEELERS DIGEST • 29

Steelers play numbers game

By TERESA VARLEY Assistant Editor A number on the back of a player’s jersey can be just that. A number.

Nothing special, nothing symbolic. Simply the number they were assigned when either being drafted or signed by a new team.

For others, though, that number is much more.

It’s an identity, it’s something they relate to, or it’s a way to honor a player they idolized.

For Sean Davis, the latter is true.

Davis wore number 28 his first two seasons with the Steelers, since number 21 was taken first by Robert Golden, and then acquired by Joe Haden last season. But as the numbers turned this offseason, number 21 became available, and Davis made the quick switch.

“I had to grab it,” said Davis. “That was my number since my freshman year of high school. It means a lot to me. When it became available, I had to get on it.”

What it means to Davis is the chance to honor his childhood idol, late Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor. Davis, who grew up in Washington, D.C., idolized Taylor, and like so many others was devastated when he was killed in 2007, when Davis was just 13 years old.

“Growing up in D.C., watching Sean Taylor, idolizing him and the way he played, his style, I loved it,” said Davis. “I tried to emulate him in my play and hopefully I can continue to do the same.

“I am really proud to wear his number. I had been wearing it for eight years. Hopefully I can summon up some Sean Taylor talent wearing it. I am going to wear it with pride. I am going to play really hard in it.”

Haden made the switch from number 21 to number 23 this year, going back to the number he wore for seven seasons with the Cleveland Browns. Mike Mitchell wore number 23 previously, and Haden couldn’t talk him into giving up his number when he arrived last year. But Mitchell was released this offseason, and Haden jumped at it.

“Mike Mitchell is one of the best dudes,” said Haden. “We have a great relationship. He was one of my best friends on the team. Since that happened, though, I was able to get my number. I have the number tatted on me and everything, so it feels good.

“I got my new number, I have a new locker. It feels good. It feels like home now.”

Haden didn’t just change numbers this offseason, but also his locker. He said he moved from one side of the locker room to the other, taking over the spot that used to belong to James Harrison.

“I got to pick my space,” said Haden. “I am with

Among the Steelers players who have switched jersey numbers since last season are, clockwise from top left, Sean Davis, Joe AP Photos/SCOTT BOEHM, PAUL JASIENSKI, PAUL SPINELLI, RIC TAPIA Haden, Cameron Sutton and Mike Hilton.

my guy AB (Antonio Brown). I have a lot of shoes, so they gave me two lockers. It feels comfortable.”

Davis and Haden aren’t the only ones who made number changes this offseason.

Mike Hilton went from 31 to the number 28 that Davis previously had, while Cameron Sutton went from 34 to 20, which Golden wore after he switched with Haden.

“It was my high school and college number,” said Hilton. “When the opportunity came up, I had to go get it. I loved number 31, number 28 is personally who I am. As soon as I saw Joe changed and Sean changed, I was like, I have to go get it.”

Sutton was assigned number 20 when he first arrived for rookie minicamp, but it was eventually given to Golden when Sutton was injured, and now

that Golden also has been released, it’s Sutton’s again.

“I came in with it, so I just felt like it’s going back to it. It was available,” said Sutton. “It’s definitely a good feeling to get it back. It’s something I came in with.”

A player who wasn’t a part of number roulette, but benefited from it, is Nat Berhe. Berhe, nicknamed “The Missile,” was given number 31 upon his arrival, and after he got a warm welcome from former safety Donnie “The Torpedo” Shell, the number meant more to him.

“I looked him up, I saw number 31 and I was like, yeah, all right,” said Berhe. “You just don’t want to disappoint. You want to keep playing your game.

The most important thing is the name on the jersey, but the number is special and you want to represent that well.”

STEELERS DIGEST • 31

Breaking down the new rules

Commissioner Roger Goodell discussed the new rules, among other topics, when he met with reporters for a news conference at the NFL owners meetings in Orlando.

AP Photo/PHELAN M. EBENHACK

By BOB LABRIOLA Editor Goodbye, convoluted catch rule. Hello, difficultto-enforce “use of the helmet” rule.

The NFL Owners Meetings took place in the final week of March and the two tent-pole pieces of legislation to come out of the week spent in Orlando were the revised catch rule, and the passing of a new rule designed to stop players from lowering their heads to use their helmets as a weapon in delivering a hit.

This is how the rule was explained in The Washington Post: “The NFL announced it had ratified the rule, which is to result in a 15-yard penalty and a possible ejection whenever a player lowers his head to initiate contact with an opponent.

League officials were quick to say it’s not a targeting rule, given that it is not focused on whether a hit targets an opponent’s head. Rather, they said, it is broader, focusing on the technique used by the player delivering the hit to remove a potentially dangerous approach for both the player delivering the hit and the player receiving it.”

Let’s get this out of the way before we go any further: This piece is not written to criticize continued attempts to make football safer. I don’t contend the powers that be are trying to make the sport a professional version of “flag football.” Nor,

to quote Troy Polamalu, do I believe the NFL is becoming “a pansy league.” My issues/questions are strictly related to the difficulties of enforcement.

More from the same edition of The Washington Post: “NFL leaders put the final piece of their justannounced new safety rule in place by saying they expect instant replay to be used to help determine whether a player should be ejected from a game for lowering his head to use his helmet to deliver a hit. Even while the final version of the rule continues to be formulated, those within the sport began trying to figure out just how much effect the new restriction on hitting technique will have on NFL playing fields beginning this fall.”

So, here we are. Back again with instant replay being used to officiate games, and being used to adjudicate a tactic that will carry significant penalties to the offender and his team. A 15-yard penalty, and a possible ejection.

Let’s go back to Super Bowl XLIX. Seattle is trailing 28-24. Ball on the 1-yard line. Let’s also pretend that the Seahawks offensive coordinator didn’t choose that very situation to have a brain cramp and instead he called the play that should have been called. Or as my football-challenged wife said at the time, “Why didn’t they just give the ball to that guy called Beast Mode?”

The Seahawks offensive line fires off the ball.

The Patriots defensive line tries to burrow into the turf because it’s a proven football fact that in such situations the lowest man wins. Beast Mode takes the handoff, and with a Super Bowl championship on the line hits it up in there like a man on a mission, which is exactly what he is in that situation.

Think about all of the players involved at the point of attack on that play, both offense and defense — offensive linemen firing off the ball, staying low, and driving their bodies into the defense; the defensive linemen doing the same, only trying to get lower; linebackers filling, defensive backs attacking the line of scrimmage, and the running back willing to do whatever is necessary to get the pig across the line.

“The rule potentially applies not only to a defender hitting an offensive player,” explained the story in The Washington Post, “but also to a ball carrier initiating contact with a defender and also to a blocker. But much depends on how the rule is enforced.”

In that situation, the final seconds of the SeattleNew England Super Bowl, with that running play called instead of the pass that ended up intercept-

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ed, how is there not going to be a violation of this new rule? How could any of the players at the point of attack — again, either on offense or defense — avoid what very well could be called a penalty?

Again, the intent is honorable, and the guardians of football continue to be active in attempts to make the sport safer, and overall they deserve to be applauded for their efforts because the sport has changed.

Mike Tomlin is a member of the Competition Committee that brought this “use of the helmet” rule to ownership, and he believes the NFL in some ways is its own worst enemy in the ongoing public relations battle over the future of the sport.

“Us, the National Football League as an entity — as a collective — we don’t sing the song enough, in my opinion, of the quality things we’ve done to improve the health and safety of our players,” said Tomlin. “I’m not in marketing. I coach football, and so I don’t think a lot about it. But it just seems like we have a bunker mentality on the subject, and I don’t believe that we should. I don’t think that we need to. I think that we’ve been aggressive in improving in those areas, so I think that we should state it as such.”

With two teenaged sons who play high school football, Tomlin is a man who believes in the values the sport can instill in the young people who play it. He also is someone who believes in the advances the NFL has initiated in the effort to make the game safer.

“I just think that we should highlight some of the things that we’ve done more than we have to this point because we have taken strong measures to improve the safety of the game for the players, and not only at our level but at all levels,” said Tomlin.

“I think the defenseless player is a significant one, but just the incremental steps that we’ve taken to take the head out of the game in all areas I think has been significant.”

And the move the NFL made during the Owners Meetings could turn out to be the most significant step yet.

According to Steelers President Art Rooney II, the intent is to eliminate the practice of a player lowering his head and using his helmet as a weapon. He also admitted that questions remain among ownership as to how the rule is to be enforced.

“We do have questions about what the standard will be for an ejection, how close they are going to call that, how they are going to be advised to interpret the rule,” said Rooney. “There are going to be some follow-up meetings between now and the May meeting with coaches and players, to get everybody’s input, and with the officiating group, just so that everybody gets a clear understanding on how that part of it is going to be handled.”

Mike Tomlin says the NFL should do more in terms of promoting the changes the league has made to make the game safer.

AP Photo/PHELAN M. EBENHACK

Mike Pereira, a former head of NFL officials who now makes a living talking about NFL officials and the job they do, already is on record as saying he doesn’t believe it’s even possible to enforce this rule.

“You’ll see the same things happen with this as we’ve seen with the crown-of-the-helmet rule: very few calls,” Pereira said during an appearance on SiriusXM Blitz. “I think most of it will be taken care of after the fact with potential fines. The part that I heard, which really does concern me, is the talk of instant replay being involved with this and to validate if there are ejections — if they’re not ejected or should be ejected or maybe even the reverse.

(It’s) much closer to the targeting rule than I thought it would be.”

It’s predictable that most of the voices being heard so soon after this new rule was passed would be ones speaking in opposition, but those opinions really don’t matter, because the NFL is committed to this cause. And just maybe the league approached this in the same way it approached the

new catch rule, in that it started with the desired end and then worked backward from there.

“If we’re able to have replay to confirm when there’s one of these fouls that we think should be removed from the game that also confirms whether someone should be ejected, I think there’s a great deal more confidence amongst the coaches that it’ll be done consistently and fair,” Commissioner Roger Goodell said. “And I think it also gives the officials more confidence to be able to make those judgments because they know that there will some type of video input in that. … I actually think that the coaches and the clubs and our officials all collectively feel that is an appropriate thing to do. … We think that’s warranted for safety-related issues.”

There’s no questioning the intent, because it’s a noble one, it’s the right one. But are these NFL officials capable of enforcing the rule in the way it was intended when teams unanimously voted to implement it?

Or will it turn out to become a sideshow, like the old catch rule?

STEELERS DIGEST • 35

2018 schedule has familiar feel

By BOB LABRIOLA Editor Maybe the Steelers don’t have to work on Christmas Day this year, as they have in each of the two previous seasons. But they certainly will have their work cut out for them leading up to that national holiday if they’re again going to be in the mix to play the role of host in the postseason and contend for one of the AFC’s two first-round byes heading into the playoffs.

The NFL has released its 2018 regular season schedule, and while the Steelers’ version begins just as it did for them in 2017 — with a 1 p.m. game against the Browns in Cleveland — the challenge it potentially poses over its second half could be unlike anything the team has faced in 10 years.

Back in 2008, the Steelers faced a nine-week gauntlet that included games against the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants, at Washington on a Monday night, then a game against Peyton Manning’s 12-4 Colts, then a game against Philip Rivers and a Chargers team that would win the AFC West, then a Thursday night game against Cincinnati, then a trip to New England, followed by a game against the Dallas Cowboys, then a trip to Baltimore, and then a trip to Nashville to play a Tennessee Titans team that would finish the regular season as the AFC’s No. 1 seed heading into the playoffs.

Coach Mike Tomlin came to refer to that stretch of the 2008 schedule as being the “five-star matchup of the week,” and there’s a similar nineweek stretch awaiting the Steelers at the end of the 2018 regular season.

Starting on Nov. 4, the Steelers are scheduled to travel to Baltimore, then come back to host Carolina on a Thursday night, then travel to Jacksonville, then travel to Denver, return home for a game against Rivers and the Los Angeles Chargers, and then travel to Oakland for a Sunday night game, which will be followed by a home game against the Patriots, then it’s a trip to New Orleans to face Drew Brees and the Saints, before the season finale against the Bengals at Heinz Field.

It’s certainly no day the beach, unless that beach is in Normandy and the day is June 6, 1944.

“It’s a tough stretch after the bye, and most of the prime-time games fall into that stretch, as they did last year,” said Steelers President Art Rooney II. “It’ll be an interesting challenge.”

As usual, the Steelers are scheduled for the full complement of five prime-time games — Monday night, Sept. 24, in Tampa; Sunday night, Sept. 30, vs. Baltimore; Thursday night, Nov. 8, vs. Carolina; Sunday night, Nov. 18, at Jacksonville; and Sunday night, Dec. 9, at Oakland. By rule, the Steelers could be flexed into a sixth prime-time game.

The Steelers plan on using their Color Rush uniforms again when they face the Carolina Panthers at Heinz Field in a Thursday night game in November.

Digest Photo/KARL ROSER

“As usual, there are a number of interesting prime-time games, and probably the only one I would complain about is that Sunday night out in Oakland,” said Rooney. “You never like to see those night games on the West Coast, but we do like to be on prime time, and we have our share of those.”

For the second straight season, the Steelers will host the Patriots, and for the second straight season they will be coming off a difficult game when they do so. Last season, it was a night game vs. the Ravens leading up to New England. This time it will be a night game on the West Coast and a five-hour flight home that will create a short week of preparation for the Patriots.

“Look, it’s one of those things where having the night games means you’re one of the prime-time teams and you want to be that kind of team where the league wants to feature you, and so you wind up having things like that,” said Rooney. “You just have to learn to deal with it.”

The third of their five night games, and the first of the three that come after the bye, is against Carolina on a Thursday night at Heinz Field, and Rooney said the Steelers will wear their Color Rush uniforms for that game even though FOX, which secured the rights to telecast the NFL’s Thursday

Night Football package, announced the network isn’t interested in making it mandatory that teams wear their Color Rush uniforms every Thursday night.

“We like our Color Rush uniforms,” said Rooney, “and we plan to wear them that night until somebody tells us we’re not supposed to do that.”

Rooney also said the Steelers will have a throwback jersey this year as well, but he wasn’t prepared to reveal what the jersey would look like or when the team will wear it.

“We’re going to have a new throwback jersey this year, and we’ll have to decide when we’re going to wear that,” said Rooney. “We haven’t decided that yet. That’ll be another piece of the puzzle, and we’ll look closer at the schedule and make a decision on when. We’ve already decided on the throwback jersey, but we have a planned day to unveil it, so that will be coming up at the end of May.” Every September, the Steelers and Pirates have to share the month because of the proximity of Heinz Field to PNC Park. For the most part, that has been an amicable situation, and in 2018 the

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four September weekends will be divided equally, to enable each team to be home for two weekends apiece.

“That’s always been our agreement with the Pirates,” said Rooney, “and Major League Baseball and the NFL understand that we’re to split the early weekends so that we have two and they have two.”

With their two September weekends, the Steelers will host Kansas City on Sept. 16 for their home opener, and then the month ends with a Sunday night, Sept. 30, bar brawl with the Baltimore Ravens.

“The Kansas City Chiefs as our opponent for the home opener should be an interesting game because they’re always a tough opponent,” said Rooney. “Then our second home game is on a Sunday night against the Ravens, and we’ve certainly had a number of Sunday night battles with the Ravens.”

Since so much of the Steelers’ 2018 schedule is the same, it’s somewhat appropriate that it will have a different ending. In seven of the last eight seasons, the Steelers’ final opponent of the regular season has been Cleveland. This time it will be the Cincinnati Bengals.

“They like to switch them up,” Rooney said about the league’s preference for those finales.

“We have played Cleveland in a lot of those games at the very end of the year, and so I think it’s a good idea to switch things up once in a while.”

The Steelers will face Joe Flacco and the Baltimore Ravens AP Photo/KEITH SRAKOCIC twice in a five-game span.

38 • STEELERS DIGEST

2018 PITTSBURGH STEELERS SCHEDULE PRESEASON Thu. Aug. 9

at Philadelphia

7 p.m.

(KDKA)

Thu. Aug. 16

at Green Bay

8 p.m.

(KDKA)

Sat. Aug. 25

TENNESSEE

4 p.m.

(KDKA)

Thu. Aug. 30

CAROLINA

7:30 p.m.

(KDKA)

REGULAR SEASON Sept. 9

at Cleveland

1 p.m.

(CBS)

Sept. 16

KANSAS CITY

1 p.m.

(CBS)

Sept. 24

at Tampa Bay (Mon.)

8:15 p.m.

(ESPN)

Sept. 30

BALTIMORE

8:20 p.m.

(NBC)

Oct. 7

ATLANTA

1 p.m.

(FOX)*

Oct. 14

at Cincinnati

1 p.m.

(CBS)*

Oct. 21

Bye

Oct. 28

CLEVELAND

1 p.m.

(CBS)*

Nov. 4

at Baltimore

1 p.m.

(CBS)*

Nov. 8

CAROLINA (Thu.)

8:20 p.m.

FOX/NFLN

Nov. 18

at Jacksonville

8:20 p.m.

(NBC)*

Nov. 25

at Denver

4:25

(CBS)*

Dec. 2

L.A. CHARGERS

1 p.m.

(CBS)*

Dec. 9

at Oakland

8:20 p.m.

(NBC)*

Dec. 16

NEW ENGLAND

4:25 p.m.

(CBS)*

Dec. 23

at New Orleans

4:25 p.m.

(CBS)*

Dec. 30

CINCINNATI

1 p.m.

(CBS)*

*-Game subject to flex scheduling