Steelers’ Rookie Draft Class Shines In Preseason Debut

The Steelers’ preseason debut showcased the team’s depth, and the rookie class took center stage with some big performances. Particularly in the second half, QB Drew Allar and WR Kaden Wetjen shined. Allar ran for score and threw two touchdown passes to Wetjen and rookie fifth-round FB Riley Nowakowski, respectively.

Minus first-round pick Max Iheanachor, out due to injury, the Steelers’ rookie class on the whole passed its first test. Second-round WR Germie Bernard made some plays early in the game, showing off his tackle-breaking abilities—despite a training camp in which the team is not tackling. He finished the game with 4 catches on 5 targets for 51 yards, including a long of 25.

Third-round CB Daylen Everette has been one of the Steelers’ most talked-about rookies. He finished his preseason debut with 5 tackles, while fellow DB, seventh-round safety Robert-Spears Jennings, recorded 3 tackles, including one for loss. Staying on defense, sixth-round DL Gabriel Rubio also showed well. While he recorded 6 tackles, more importantly, he held the point of attack.

It’s hard to speak much about the offensive line, but third-round pick Gennings Dunker logged plenty of time in the second half along with Drew Allar, leading the best period for the Steelers’ rookies. The offense moved efficiently, scoring three times in the final 30 minutes. Seventh-rounder Eli Heidenreich played late, recording 9 carries for 21 yards, admittedly looking a bit anxious out there, but generally gaining what the offensive line blocked up.

Speaking of Allar, he finished his night 10-for-13 for 153 yards with the 2 touchdown passes and a 154.8 quarterback rating, including a long of 74 yards. As mentioned, he rushed for another after just missing on a touchdown pass to Riley Nowakowski. The Steelers’ two rookies did hook up later to cap the scoring at 28-9.

The Steelers’ most maligned draft pick, fourth-round rookie Kaden Wetjen, was arguably the star of the second half. And he did it on offense, not special teams. Drafted as a return man, he found very little room to work on a special teams unit that couldn’t get out of its own way with a litany of penalties. If there was one blemish for the Steelers’ rookie class, it would be in that phase of the game.

Wetjen only caught two passes, but both were big plays. The first was a catch and run for 74 yards that set up Allar’s first touchdown, running it in himself. Later in the game, Allar found Wetjen for a five-yard touchdown in the red zone. Nowakowski only caught one pass, but it was a nice snag on a four-yard touchdown.

The Steelers have had successful draft classes, it seems, under GM Omar Khan, with rookies contributing early. It’s not clear how this year will translate into regular-season playing time. At least for tonight’s preseason debut, however, it’s easy to be pleased with what we’ve seen.

The Steelers didn’t expect much from Drew Allar as a rookie, but they used a third-round draft pick on him with an eye toward the future. Tonight, he showed his talent more than his faults. We’re still miles away from a full evaluation, but it’s always helpful to see the proof of concept.