Before he became the Steelers' backup running back, Jaylen Warren was one of many NFL Draft hopefuls who did not hear his name called on the final weekend of April in 2022.
Luckily for Mike Tomlin, the Oklahoma State product fell out of the seventh round, thus opening the phone lines into priority undrafted free agency.
Not long after joining the Steelers' 2022 undrafted class, Warren blazed through the late-summer training camp and found himself becoming Najee Harris' backup, usurping Benny Snell and Anthony McFarland -- running backs taken in the fourth rounds in the 2019 and 2020 drafts, respectively -- for the role.
With the 2023 rookie minicamp approaching, the team announced seven undrafted free agent signees to help round out their 2023 class of rookies.
Are any of these players the next Warren?
The Steelers' 2023 undrafted free agent class reads as follows:
• Minnesota quarterback Tanner Morgan
• Iowa fullback Monte Pottebaum
• Iowa State offensive lineman Trevor Downing
• Merrimack defensive end James Nyamwaya
• Fresno State linebacker David Perales
• Clemson place-kicker B.T. Potter
• San Diego State wide receiver/return specialist Jordan Byrd
It's pretty obvious to note the depth adds here. Morgan is, as of this moment, a camp arm and would minimally have a role as the Steelers' third-string quarterback behind Kenny Pickett and Mitch Trubisky, if he sticks around. Downing gives the Steelers a third "true" center behind Mason Cole and futures player Ryan McCollum, though there is potential for versatile seventh-round pick Spencer Anderson to move into that role. Nyamwaya appears to be more of a third wheel behind Larry Ogunjobi and DeMarvin Leal on the defensive line, should he stick.
Which leaves four players of note to discuss: Pottebaum, Perales, Potter and Byrd.
These four, as things stand, present the most intrigue as players which could legitimately fill a role on the 2023 roster. This isn't necessarily meant to invoke that any of these players are Day 1, plug-and-play players, but this is looking at each of these four as having potential to step into a significant role as Warren did in 2022, should they maximize opportunities from coaching over the summer and in fall camp.
• Starting with Pottebaum, he could fulfill the role left by Derek Watt, as Watt is currently roaming the free-agent market. Pottebaum transitioned from linebacker to fullback at Iowa and was the lead blocker for a run-heavy Hawkeyes offense. Pottebaum likely would not be leaned on for yardage in key situations, but if there is a body to put in front of Harris or Warren in short yardage, he showed more than enough burst at Iowa to be able to help pave the way for a running back.
Odds are, Pottebaum would also have to fit in as a special teamer, a role which Watt took on in addition to the fullback duties. (Plus, he sports a mullet and wears a neck roll. He fits that position well in the old-school sense.)
Woke up and thought about the @MontePottebaum blocking on this TD. 💯 pic.twitter.com/ltzC8va06P
— Iowa On BTN (@IowaOnBTN) November 7, 2021
• Perales was a two-time All-Mountain West second-team selection in 2020 and 2021 before making it to the first team in 2022, after transferring from Football Championship Subdivision program Sacramento State. He finished his career at Fresno State sixth in program history in sacks with 22.5, and in 2022 he set Fresno State single-season career-highs in tackles for loss (16.0) and sacks (11.5), the latter of which led the Mountain West.
Perales sustained an ankle injury in the Bulldogs' regular-season finale, though he returned to register a pass breakup in the Mountain West Championship Game and followed it with a sack and a pass breakup in the Bulldogs' win over Washington State in the LA Bowl in mid-December.
So, the ankle injury didn't seem to be on a serious level, but it still did enough to impact his late-season push and offseason preparation for Fresno State's pro day, in which he ran a 5.00 40-yard dash. Nonetheless, Perales was productive at the Division I level and could present some situational appeal as a pash rusher -- though he might check in a tad undersized at just above 250 pounds.
𝐃𝐈𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐍' 𝐔𝐏 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐔𝐑𝐄 ☎️#GoDogs | @David99Perales | 📺 FOX pic.twitter.com/IhEYhtn1le
— Fresno State Football 🏆 (@FresnoStateFB) September 18, 2022
• The signing of Potter marks the second consecutive season in which the Steelers brought in a place-kicker as an undrafted free agent, after doing so in 2022 with Wake Forest's Nick Sciba. Like Sciba, Potter was a multi-time semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award, given annually to the best place-kicker in college football.
When Chris Boswell went on injured reserve in 2022 with a groin injury, the Steelers scrambled for Matthew Wright's services for four games and Sciba's for one. Each had at least some form of familiarity with the Steelers, as Wright kicked for the Steelers in three games in 2020 before going to Jacksonville in 2021.
Potter had a successful run in his five seasons at Clemson. He converted 73 of 97 field goals with a long of 52 yards, and he missed just one extra point in 235 tries. While he won't immediately be Boswell's replacement -- Boswell's current contract runs through the 2026 season -- Potter at least allows for another insurance option in the same and similar light as Wright and Sciba did, solely based on familiarity, in the event of an emergency regarding Boswell.
Here is a 52-yard conversion from Potter in the 2022 ACC Championship Game:
B.T. Potter pic.twitter.com/N5NI7kTTbP
— Seldom Used Reserve (@seldomusedres) December 8, 2022
• This brings us to the player that, based on the Steelers' current depth and the need for the position, could be the most likely player we see suit up in September.
Byrd stood out at San Diego State as a return specialist, as he earned first-team All-Mountain West accolades in 2021 and 2022 as a kick returner and in 2022 as a punt returner. He was a running back for the Aztecs, though he was announced by the Steelers as an incoming wide receiver.
He averaged 25.3 yards per kick return and scored three touchdowns -- one in each of the last three seasons -- in his five-year collegiate career. He added a punt return touchdown in 2022 and averaged 6.6 yards on his punt runbacks in his career.
Byrd was a track star in high school. He won four New Mexico state championships in the 100-meter dash and added three more championships in the 200.
Jordan Byrd (5'9", 170) is going to be brought in as a return specialist for the #Steelers.
— Tyler Wise (@TriggeredWise) April 29, 2023
He has 4 career return TDs (3 KRs, 1 PR) and averaged 24.9 yards per kick return in his career at SDSU.
Was a 4-time 100M Dash State Champion in high school. https://t.co/Y84yl4nE7r pic.twitter.com/rm3LPVWEYt
Jordan Byrd got the wheels turning for this punt return TD 💨💨 pic.twitter.com/ROBAnklR5S
— Stadium (@Stadium) December 6, 2020
Byrd has some serious potential to stick around and make the 53-man roster for his services as a returner. Steven Sims left for the Texans in free agency after leading the Steelers with 17 kick returns and 19 punt returns in 2022. No other Steeler had returned more than three kicks, and Gunner Olszewski was the only Steeler not named Sims to run a punt back.
At one point last season, Tomlin said he was "not very high" in his comfort level with Olszewski returning after losing a key fumble against the Patriots and fumbling again two weeks later against the Jets. Rarely is the kick return position outright addressed in the draft, and with the addition of Byrd, it at least seems that he will be given a chance at translating his production at the Group of Five level into the NFL.
Obviously there is still quite some time to go between now and Week 1, but based on the Steelers' current options -- perhaps a lack thereof -- Byrd just might have a shot at making it to the 53-man as the team's kick returner, whether it comes from necessity or from his performance beginning in rookie minicamp.
