Steelers Landing Absolute Steal Of A Rookie Is Still A Mystery To Pittsburgh

The Pittsburgh Steelers have recently had more success with drafting and develop quality players in recent years. Despite that, they entered offseason activities with the expectation that they would not get a lot of work out of the most recent rookie class. Of the 11 first-year players on the 53-man roster, the only ones that are projected to be starters immediately are fourth-round return man Kaden Wetjen and fifth-round fullback Riley Nowakowski, two positions that don't get a lot of work on game days. This will be a developmental year for these young guys. 

There are still some rookies that will get plenty of work as rotational pieces. Second-round pick Germie Bernard will have to be a key factor to the receiving corps while sixth-round defensive lineman Gabriel Rubio has quickly made a name for himself as a run-down specialist. Overall, General Manager Omar Khan has done well with selecting high-potential players that can light the league up in a few years.

There is one newcomer in particular that will have to have a big role, but the fact that he fell so far is mesmerizing to some in the organization. Safety Rayshawn Jenkins explained his mindset about his teammate Robert Spears-Jennings, as noted by Chris Adamski of TribLive.

"What was shocking to me is from past experiences, if you go 4.3 as a safety, you get drafted typically within those first like three/four rounds," Jenkins said. It was surprising to see him fall to the seventh."

Spears-Jennings has been nothing short of a welcomed surprise. It started during the draft process, when his speed training paid off. While being listed at 205 pounds, the safety dropped his 40-yard dash time by .22 seconds, He caught Pittsburgh's eye by running a 4.32 40-yard dash and being one of the most athletic players at his position in the 2026 NFL Draft.

As Jenkins mentioned, players like Spears-Jennings typically don't fall into the seventh round, so Pittsburgh got lucky that he fell all the way down to its pick. What's been even more of a pleasant surprise is just how well he played in training camp and the preseason. With the help of injuries, the young safety had a significant increase in reps, and has done nothing but impress everyone with his abilities. 

The young safety's draft analysis focused on how great he was physically, but not mechanically. So far, it seems like Spears-Jennings has been perfectly fine with his mechanics, as he has been all over the field in both special teams and defense. With a little more development, the seventh-round rookie could end up being a key piece to Pittsburgh's defense for years to come.

Steelers Will Have To Rely On Spears-Jennings Immediately

The Steelers are dealing with all kinds of injuries at the safety position. DeShon Elliott is starting the year on Injured Reserve (IR) and Jaquan Brisker has been dealing with a nagging injury throughout the preseason; although, he is still expected to start in Week 1. He and Jenkins will most likely be the tandem that will get the most action, but they need help.

The Steelers wouldn't want Brisker to play every snap and risk wearing him down quickly as he tries to recover from injury. Jalen Ramsey, the only other veteran that can play safety, is coming off of his own issue that made his miss training camp. Besides, Pittsburgh still wants to use him as a position-less player, so he could be on the field as a cornerback or even a dime-backer.

Spears-Jennings is the only true depth piece that the Steelers have at safety. Even if they sign another veteran before Week 1, it will take time for that player to learn the playbook and be able to make an impact. Pittsburgh will just have to rely on the surprise seventh-round rookie to come in and play meaningful snaps in all kinds of situations to help lighten the veterans' loads.

What do you think about Jenkins being surprised about Spears-Jennings getting selected in the seventh round? Let us know on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.

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