Impressive rookie
Receiver Claypool is early standout of this year’s class
One of the reasons training camp at Latrobe was always so popular is it gave fans a chance to watch practice and see how the new players, particularly the draft choices, are performing. If the Steelers were at Saint Vincent College and not Heinz Field this summer, one player in particular would have stood out as majestically as the Laurel Ridge — rookie receiver Chase Claypool.
His ability to quickly get to full speed after a catch is as impressive as his size and talent. Only a Ferrari gets from 0 to 60 as fast as Claypool.
But training camp is not available to the public, unless, of course, they watch the 30- minute live stream on the Steelers website. So, in an effort to get everyone up to speed with what they are missing, here is a bulletpoint list of observations and insights from the first two weeks of practice with pads.
• It is apparent on a daily basis there is nothing wrong with Ben Roethlisberger’s throwing arm — not the strength of his arm or his ability to spin the ball. Still, he has one more hurdle to overcome: Throwing and cutting loose when a defensive lineman or linebacker is barreling down on him in a game. That will tell him more about his arm than any practice sessions.
• It’s going to be hard for an undrafted rookie free agent to make the 53- man roster without any preseason games to show what they can do. But the one player who has the best chance is rookie cornerback James Pierre, an undrafted free agent from Florida Atlantic who has impressed the coaches at training camp. Pierre not only has the size ( 6- 2, 185) the Steelers like in their corners, he has shown an understanding of his assignments and routinely makes plays on the ball.
• Do not wonder if the Steelers
will find ways to get Claypool involved in the offense, even though he is a rookie who had no OTAs, minicamp or preseason games. They will. Quickly.
• James Washington elevates better and with more grace and athleticism than any Steelers receiver since Lynn Swann. Roethlisberger will have a new pair of 6- foot- 5 targets with Claypool and tight end Eric Ebron, but no receiver can go up and get a ball like Washington. His aerial show is a daily component at camp.
• Mason Rudolph has the look of a player with eight NFL starts under his belt. He is making quick decisions and not looking robotic.
• Do not hold your breath about hybrid safety Antoine Brooks being a contributor or even making the 53man roster. He has not stood out at camp and won’t have a chance to prove what he can do in a preseason game. Of course, keep in mind he was a sixth- round draft choice. Not many of those make rosters.
• The Steelers have three All- Pros on their defense — Cam Heyward, T. J. Watt and Minkah Fitzpatrick — but maybe the player they can least afford to lose is inside linebacker Devin Bush. They do not have another player with his speed who can cover as much ground at a position that has grown in importance in today’s NFL.
• Make no mistake, Anthony McFarland, the team’s fourth- round draft choice, is no Dri Archer or Chris Rainey. He is a better inside runner than what you might think for a big- play running back who had runs of 52, 75 and 81 yards in a game against Ohio State last season. But get him on the corner and his 4.4 speed is evident. He is the perfect type of back for some of the misdirection plays the Steelers have installed.
• Alex Highsmith, their second pick in the draft, looks like a Steelers outside linebacker.
• Devlin Hodges will beat out Paxton Lynch for the No. 3 quarterback spot. The coaches will have a hard time forgetting the wide- open receiver Lynch badly missed in practice last week.
• Speaking of one play making or breaking a player, wide receiver Ray- Ray McCloud, signed 10 days ago, likely cemented his spot on the roster with a one- cut, top- speed kick return for touchdown last week.
• Curtis Riley, picked up three weeks ago, looks like a safety who has played in the NFL. A competent backup for Fitzpatrick, better than Kam Kelly.
• There is little room in the defense right now for cornerback Justin Layne, but that doesn’t mean the Steelers are dissatisfied with last year’s third- round draft choice. On the contrary, they like his length ( 6- 2, 192) and physical skills and what they have seen thus far in camp. But with Joe Haden, Steven Nelson, Mike Hilton and Cam Sutton, Layne will have to wait to get into some permanent rotation.
• Matt Canada’s influence on the offense is evident. All the concepts that players said have been incorporated into the offense — the presnap shifts, motion and mis- direction plays — are on display every day.