LATROBE, Pa. -The Steelers' rookie class has shown positive signs throughout training camp and in their first preseason game. Recent seasons have seen the team focused on getting younger and having those players assume significant roles. Players like Artie Burns and JuJu Smith-Schuster have accelerated their development.
Still, each can improve.
Mason Rudolph, the player many deem to be the heir to Ben Roethlisberger, completed seven passes on 12 attempts for 101 yards last week in Philadelphia. Though he never led the Steelers to a touchdown, he did lead three scoring drives and made solid reads and throws.
What should be watched for is how many different plays Rudolph can make with his pre-snap reads and how he makes adjustments based on defensive alignment. One example came when he connected with Damoun Patterson for a first down in the third quarter. Patterson's route was a deep out against Cover-3 defense.
The cornerback, Avonte Maddox, had to maintain their deep coverage and couldn't afford to jump a well-run underneath route. This meant that Rudolph only had to concern himself with any assisting defenders who could jump underneath the out route. Once Rudolph started the play by looking down the middle of the field, it froze the closest linebacker and gave him the space to make the throw:
This is where Rudolph needs to make more plays against the Packers. Reads like this will make a rookie quarterback's job much easier because it minimizes his guesswork. He just has to read a few defensive players.
The Steelers didn't see a lot of plays made by first-round pick Terrell Edmunds in the passing game against the Eagles last week. However, Edmunds did contribute against the run.
Edmunds showed some of the run-stopping skills he made a reputation for at Virginia Tech against the Eagles. Watch how he lines up in the box, basically as an extra linebacker, and is able to meet the running back in the hole:
Though Edmunds is cautious, he's quick enough to get to the spot and strong enough to deliver a hit that finishes the play. Look for Edmunds to line up in the box against the Packers a lot, just as he has for much of training camp. If he gets more opportunities to cover the pass in man schemes or is targeted when he's not in a soft zone, that will be good tape to study from.
Chukwuma Okorafor could see playing time this season with the depth issues on the Steelers' offensive line. So his progress in the preseason could be vital.
Okorafor showed exactly what his college tape portrayed him to be: A player who knows how to get to his assignment but doesn't finish with authority. We covered this immediately after the draft, and that theme still rang true against the Eagles.
Watch how Okorafor handles this pass rush from the Eagles' defensive end, Steven Means. Okorafor's footwork puts him in proper position to handle the rush and maintain leverage with his large, 6-foot-6, 320 lb. frame. But notice how he allows Means to get inside his hands when Okorafor engages him.
Instead of allowing Means to reach his hands out and eventually get his pads to Okorafor's chest, the rookie tackle must use his long arms to establish himself and keep Means a distance away. Doing so would force a wide route to Rudolph:
These are techniques that aren't hard to acquire and, under Mike Munchak, could become part of Okorafor's game soon. But it will be a major point to watch.
The Steelers' highest-profile undrafted rookie is Matthew Thomas, inside linebacker from Florida State. Thomas has had an intriguing training camp with the Steelers as he's showed solid coverage skills and was physical in tackling drills. However, the main skill that needed to be seen from Thomas was how he processes plays on the field.
Watch how he does a good job flowing to where the play is going here; Thomas recognizes the power run and goes to meet the pulling center. The problem arises when he has to engage the center and is dominated at the point of attack, resulting in a big run for the Eagles:
Showing the knowledge to get to where the play is going is a good sign for Thomas. When he's on the field, watch how he reacts to the run. If he can win more at the point of attack, he will earn his keep with this team, which needs depth at inside linebacker.
The injury to Ramon Foster means that B.J. Finney has to play left guard. Finney, being the backup center as well, leaves an opening for another potential center on the team. Undrafted rookie Patrick Morris saw the first action at center after Finney last week and got the most reps behind Finney in camp.
Morris looked like a player who got to his assignment but never could blow up a defender. Watch how he gets to the linebacker at the second level and seals him to the inside. He does his job, but the Steelers will need Morris to drive defenders off the ball more:
Watch for when Morris engages defenders and see if he's able to get a surge Thursday night.