LATROBE, Pa. -- Ben Roethlisberger has seen dozens upon dozens of Steelers wide receivers step onto the field at Saint Vincent College for Steelers camp, ready to make an impression and carve out their dreams on the gridiron.
One thing he's noticed: Rookies always come into camp needing a little extra conditioning.
I think any young guy that comes in needs to always work on conditioning," Roethlisberger was telling media today outside the locker room in Latrobe, Pa., for Day 1 of Steelers training camp. "No rookie ever comes in and is in great condition."
But don't tell that to rookie receiver Diontae Johnson. According to Roethlisberger, the Steelers' third-round pick this season out of Toledo has already made some waves in camp.
"I saw him run his conditioning test yesterday, and I don’t even think he opened [his mouth], like, he was barely breathing," Roethlisberger said. "So you could tell, and I heard that he was here a lot in the offseason working, so you can tell that he really took that to heart, that he needed to get in shape. I’ve seen that so far, even though it’s early."
And hey, not to keep banging this drum, but everyone — scouts, coaches, media — compared Johnson to Antonio Brown after digging through the film. He's small — 5 foot 11, 181 pounds. He runs precise routes. He comes from a MAC school. It's all there, and now you can add an intense dedication to conditioning to the list.
“I look at his [Brown's] releases, how he catches the ball, how he comes out of his breaks, those type of things and try to apply it to my game,” Johnson was telling me at the Rooney Complex after Day 1 of the Steelers OTAs. “I feel like my releases are just as similar as his, and my route-running also, so those are the couple things I look at.”
It's something that gives Roethlisberger hope and excitement — but there's one giant hurdle left for Johnson to clear.
"The next thing I want to see is how he plays and how he reacts with pads on," Roethlisberger said. "Because a lot of us look good with shorts and t-shirts, but once the pads come on and you have the capability of getting hit and stuff, we’ll see what happens. But I’m excited for it.”
Our Steelers crew is in Latrobe, Pa. for the duration of training camp. Follow along with us for all the latest interviews, news, analysis, videos and more right here.
MATT SUNDAY GALLERY
Steelers training camp, Latrobe, Pa., July 26, 2019 -- MATT SUNDAY / DKPS
