The Pittsburgh Steelers are making their way through their 2025 training camp in Latrobe, PA, and there are a lot of new elements to this team that has Steeler Nation paying extra attention to each and every practice. Whether it be the big name veterans that were brought in throughout the offseason via trades or free agency, or the incoming 2025 NFL Draft class, the amount of new faces and excitement around these additions is much higher than previous seasons.
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Pittsburgh Steelers' DK Metcalf during the team's 2025 minicamp.
Typically, the incoming draft class has the most to prove throughout their initial summer and training camp, but for the Steelers, their 2024 draft class needs to take advantage of opportunities themselves. The Steelers' 2024 draft class had some solid contributors in their rookie seasons, but in the same breath, two of the team's top three picks had very little or no playing time in 2024 due to injuries. First round pick Troy Fautanu showed flashes of success in his limited playing time before his season was ended due to injury, and third-round pick Roman Wilson never managed to get healthy enough to see the field in 2024 outside of five offensive snaps. However, they both went into this year's training camp with a clean bill of health and are looking to prove why they were worth the draft capital.
Going through the first few days of training camp, the previously mentioned Wilson wasn't standing out from the crowd according to Steelers insider Gerry Dulac, and that was a cause for concern. That drastically changed during the Steelers' seventh training camp practice, as Wilson stole the show. Going up against one of the Steelers' top corners in Joey Porter Jr. in a 1-on-1 situation, Wilson elevated above Porter and made a spectacular catch, which might have been the biggest highlight of training camp to date, as well as potentially for Wilson's NFL career.
Speaking with the media after practice, Head Coach Mike Tomlin was asked about Wilson and what his evaluation is of Wilson to this point.
"He has shown really good adaptability and position flex," said Tomlin on Roman Wilson. "We are still very much early in the process, but I like some of the things I've seen from him, certainly."
Tomlin doesn't usually shy away from giving his honest opinion on his evaluation of players at this point in the process. So him giving Wilson a little kudos for his versatility and what he has seen from him so far this year is definitely a good sign. It is especially a good sign after the previously mentioned report of Wilson not standing out to this point.
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Steelers wide receiver Roman Wilson catches a football during a practice in the Steel City.
Despite the big day from Wilson, one highlight reel catch and one positive comment from Tomlin alone isn't going to be what gets Wilson on the field on a consistent basis. With the team's current wide receiving core, people would think the door is open for Wilson to break into the starting lineup, but Calvin Austin III and the stable of tight ends on the roster aren't going to roll over and give up their playing time. Should Wilson continue to build on his big day, he will have the opportunity to see the field more often than some may think early in the season.
Steelers Need To See More From Kaleb Johnson Before Committing To Him
The expectations for the rookie class are being tempered right now due to all the veteran offseason acquisitions, but there are still contributions that are going to be expected from many of them as the season goes along if the Steelers want to make a deep playoff run. One of those key contributors is going to need to be running back Kaleb Johnson.
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Steelers rookie Kaleb Johnson carrying the football during mandatory minicamp.
Johnson was selected in the third round this year by the Steelers, but despite the draft capital, the rookie will need to make improvements to his game to be a consistent contributor. Insider Ray Fittipaldo said recently that Johnson hasn't shown the pass catching skill set and hands required to be a three-down back yet, and will need to make significant strides to earn a role similar to that. There is still plenty of time for Johnson to show he has that skill set, but he will need to have a quick learning curve if he wants to steal opportunities away from Jaylen Warren.
Do you think Wilson could be a big contributor in 2025? Let us know in the comments below!
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