Bush, Snell being tested against each other ☕

LATROBE, Pa. -- Mike Tomlin loves to challenge young players. In fact, it's a lot like a video game.

Earn a victory over one player on a consistent basis, and Tomlin will move you up the food chain. It's kind of like beating the boss on a particular level and then moving on to the next one.

A week into the Steelers' training camp at Saint Vincent College, rookies Devin Bush and Benny Snell have been paired up a lot in passing drills. And thus far, it's been Snell, the running back, who has gotten the better of the action against the young linebacker -- though the drills do favor the offensive player heavily.

Thursday, that had Snell winning all three of their matchups in the open-field pass-catching drill, though Bush did rebound to break up a pass in a fourth rep working against James Conner.

It's all part of the process for both young players.

"They both come with the same resumé, which is very little," Tomlin said after practice. "So, you pit young guy versus young guy and see their natural skillset, where their floor is and who's able to dominate that matchup, and maybe get some more seasoned and experienced guys.

"You earn your way to varsity snaps. A lot of those things are young guys versus young guys. If you show that, you'll get an opportunity to see (running back) Jaylen Samuels or (linebacker) Tyler Matakevich on the other side of the ball."

That Snell is more polished as a pass catcher than anyone might have thought coming out of Kentucky is a bit of a revelation. He didn't get many passes thrown his way in college, catching just 29 in his three-year career, compared to 737 carries.

But Snell, a fourth-round draft pick, has worked hard on his hands and route running, even though he didn't get to show them off in college.

"It’s definitely a natural thing, a natural habit I have. I like catching extra passes after practice. I make sure I catch at least 50 balls a day," Snell told me. "That’s something I do after practice, so people don’t see that. They say, ‘Oh, he runs the ball a lot, but he doesn’t have any hands.’ I practice catching every day. My hands are definitely something I want to start showing off more."

So far, so good.

The opposite could be said of Bush, the team's first-round pick. He was drafted because the Steelers loved his 4.4 speed. But he continues to be a work in progress in terms of coverage.

He seems natural in zones as he reads the quarterback well and has broken up a number of passes. Playing man-to-man against other NFL players, however, shows inconsistencies.

"He’s got to be both. You can't do one thing in the National Football League because they’ll kill you," defensive coordinator Keith Butler told me of Bush. "He’s got to be good at zone. He’s got to be coachable. He is that. He’s got to get used to man-to-man. He’s got to get used to guarding better athletes. It’s a different game.

"He’s got to get used to that and the speed of the game. Not that he doesn’t have speed to transition to the NFL. He does. He’s got good technique in a lot of areas, but some areas need work."

That will come with time and additional reps as the newly turned 21-year-old adjusts to playing in the NFL.

The Steelers continue to throw a lot of different things at Bush, seeing what sticks. Thus far, by all accounts, he's handled it all well.

But we might not truly see what he's capable of doing until the Steelers begin playing preseason games a week from now.

Until then, he'll continue to be tested by Tomlin on a daily basis.

"He’s got really good instincts. That’s probably his biggest asset," Butler said. "He still needs to see some things. He’ll get it once he gets the reps at it. The thing about the NFL is that it’s a little bit more complex with what offenses do and what we’re doing. It’s a faster game. Your processing of what’s going on out there has to be a lot quicker than it was in college.

"His speed, he’s not going to get any faster or any quicker, but his processing speed can get faster, can get quicker with the more reps he gets."

MATT SUNDAY GALLERY