After months of preparing for the draft, waiting to see where football would take them, Steelers’ rookies finally got a chance to show what they could do on Friday during the team’s first rookie minicamp practice.
“It was a good first day out here on the field working with the guys,” said defensive lineman Daniel McCullers, selected in the sixth round. “We try to work through the plays, get through the plays and get into the rhythm of the game. It was a pretty good first practice, but we’ve got a lot of room for improvement.”
Everyone knows the importance of first impressions, but at the same time there is an understanding that the plays they are running were just presented to the rookies minutes before they hit the field.
“The information is flying at you,” said number one pick Ryan Shazier, the linebacker out of Ohio State. “You just learned a little bit of it not too long ago and now you are going out there trying to digest it and play. It’s kind of fast, but it’s going to help us.
“It’s good to have this time. The veterans know what they are doing. We are out here trying to learn and get a little grasp of everything before we are out there with the older guys.”
Receiver Martavis Bryant, the team’s fourth-round pick, has an opportunity on offense with the turnover at the position, but for right now he just is looking to get comfortable with things.
“I was just trying to work, get used to it,” said Bryant. “It was a first-time experience for me. It went pretty well. I just need to go and watch film and work on getting better.”
The players will have minicamp practices on Saturday and Sunday as well, continuing to learn as much as they can in a short window.
“There is a lot to learn,” said Dri Archer, the speedy running back/receiver selected in the third round. “It’s a whole new playbook. You have to learn different terminology, different rules. I feel like I am picking up a lot.
“We all have been waiting for this day for a long time through the draft process. We all have to show what we can do today.”
