Tomlin calls out for the next ‘Duck’
Longest long shots get a good look at rookie minicamp
Mike Tomlin walked off the practice field Saturday at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex with one name on the tip of his tongue: Devlin Hodges.
“We’re really excited about the work that’s being done here. It’s introductory weekend, an opportunity to kind of get to know them, for them to get to know us, the things we’re trying to build here fundamentally — the culture,” the Steelers coach said of rookie minicamp. “We familiarize ourselves with our draft picks and our rookie free agents, but also it’s a rookie tryout weekend, and so we’re really watching a lot of guys who are putting their best foot forward in an effort to maybe launch their NFL careers.
“A number of years ago, we had a guy ‘Duck’ Hodges out here, we didn’t know he would start some games at quarterback for us, for example.”
There was little to no chance of finding a Hodges in the past two years, as the pandemic scuttled offseason programs around the league. This year’s rookie camp was the first since 2019 that the Steelers could bring in a horde of undrafted rookies to try out. Last spring, the draft picks and priority free agents got a chance to get their feet wet, but they were doing it while wearing masks and being subject to various other COVID-19 policies.
It’s back to normal in 2022, and Tomlin seemed to relish this first step of the teambuilding process, even if the majority of attendees won’t be anywhere near the Week 1 roster.
“You work out here in these circumstances with an edge; you really respect all the participants,” Tomln said. “You look at what they have to offer, you forecast maybe how they could get better here in the next few months, and then you make the necessary decision. We’re very much in the midst of that. It has been a highly productive weekend. We expect it to continue as we continue to press forward.”
Body talk
The forecast for thirdround pick DeMarvin Leal is to eventually be a starting defensive end for the Steelers, as longtime stalwarts Cam Heyward and Stephon Tuitt won’t be here forever. At 6 feet 4, 290 pounds, Leal’s playing weight has some wondering whether he needs to bulk up to go from a
Notebook
4-3 defense at Texas A&M to the vaunted Steelers 3-4, but his head coach isn’t buying into that.
“Oftentimes in draft preparation, guys hear things from NFL people, and they try to do what they think we want,” Tomlin said of Leal, who played both tackle and end in the SEC. “The reality is that we’re trying to get to know the athlete, the pedigree of the athlete and how his body works, what’s the optimal condition for him to be in. It would be much too premature to talk about desired weights and so forth with any of these guys, because we’re just getting to know them.”
Leal also has plenty of time to shape his body. He left college after his junior season and doesn’t turn 22 until July, making him the second-youngest of the team’s seven draft picks, behind only second-round wideout George Pickens.
Local ties
Of the 28 players invited to camp on a tryout basis, several had connections either to the Steelers or to the area. No word on if any could be the next Hodges, but these recent college products all will at least have an NFL experience to tell people about someday:
• Leandro DeBrito, a safety from Pawtucket, R.I., who picked off two passes last year for Duquesne
• Tavin Harville, a defensive back from Detroit who played last season at Robert Morris
• Chase Pine, a Pitt linebacker who appeared in 58 games over six years for coach Pat Narduzzi
• Tre Tipton, a Pitt wide receiver from Apollo-Ridge High School who stayed with the Panthers for seven seasons due to injuries
• Gavin Greene, a linebacker out of Mississippi College and the son of the late Kevin Greene, who spent three of his 15 Hall of Fame seasons with the Steelers
• Damani Staley, a South Carolina linebacker whose father Duce Staley played running back for the Steelers from 2004-06
• Liam Fornadel, offensive lineman out of James Madison whose father Paul was a standout at Bethel Park High School
Pen to paper
Sixth-round pick Connor Heyward and seventh-round picks Mark Robinson and Chris Oladokun all signed their rookie contracts Saturday. The three who have yet to agree to terms are firstrounder Kenny Pickett, Leal and fourth-rounder Calvin Austin.