How's the old cliché go? You have to learn to walk before you can run?
That's pretty much the whole point of rookie minicamp. Yes, football activity is happening. Rookie minicamp almost has a first-day-of-school feeling to it. Everything's fresh, and there's an innocence that comes with the clean slate of a new season.
But, as the team development for the 2025 season is in its infancy, this is the time for the most inexperienced players to simply learn.
"We got some on-field work and development of skill relative to the positions that they play," Tomlin said following Saturday's walkthrough with the rookie at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. "But it's also just an introduction to the organization. We had a rookie dinner last night. We gave them a tour of the Steelers (Hall of Honor) Museum at the stadium, for example. So there's an education going on on a lot of fronts, and it's fun to get to know the guys and how they learn, their talents, how their body works, how they take in information, how to communicate."
At this stage, more happens at dinners and in the classroom than on the field. Every team has their own way of doing the same things, so learning the playbook, the lines of communication and the overall mode of operation is critical for players getting their feet wet at the NFL level. It also gives them a more gentle landing by the time OTAs, minicamp and eventually training camp come around.
No position is more complicated than quarterback. Sixth-round pick Will Howard has a lot to learn, all doing so after having to shift gears from a national championship run at Ohio State then a long, arduous draft preparation. During a setting like this, the Steelers aren't wanting to overload him or New Hampshire's Seth Morgan, the other quarterback in attendance at rookie minicamp. That's why this weekend is much more about the process and education, not necessarily showing what they can do with a football in their hands.
"Huddle command and communication, the ability to regurgitate new information," Tomlin said of what he was looking for from Howard this weekend. "And by new information, I mean information that's new to them. I don't want to underscore how difficult it is to receive some of the verbiage from a play caller and have to regurgitate it to 10 others that are waiting for it. And so, some elementary things, but important things nonetheless, the giving and receiving of information is a central component of leadership at that position."
On the other side of the ball, everyone's eager to see the likes of Derrick Harmon and Yahya Black wreak havoc on the interior of the defensive line. Harmon is a first-round pick and a physical clone of Cam Heyward. Black is a breathtaking specimen at 6-5, 342 pounds with 35-inch arms.
Yes, the process of being coached up on the field has begun, but Black does a great job of helping explain the overload of information that happens during this weekend every single year:
"Man, really just trying to soak in everything," Black said. "There's a lot of things out there that they're trying to teach us. Sometimes, you just have to take one things at a time. But, you're really trying to take everything in."
One thing at a time. That's the key for these players right now. As previously mentioned, this one offseason will be different than any other they encounter for the rest of their respective careers. Whether they were drafted or not, all of them just went through a months-long draft process. Their entire focus has been getting a team to take a chance on them. Once that happens, it's an abrupt shift. Getting acclimated to the NFL takes time. So much happens from Monday through Saturday during the season, and this is their orientation.
From here on out, team development only gets more and more complicated. Rookie minicamp wraps up Sunday, with OTAs continuing for the next few weeks, including voluntary practices that start on May 27. Just a few weeks after that is a three-day mandatory minicamp on June 10-12. After a month-long reprieve, it'll be time to head out to Latrobe, Pa., for training camp at Saint Vincent College.
"Obviously, we're at ground zero," Tomlin said. "But it's a great opportunity to get better on days like today, and they've been really engaged. And so the process has been fun."
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THE ASYLUM
Chris Halicke
2:39 pm - 05.10.2025South SideRookie minicamp’s true value isn’t on the field
How's the old cliché go? You have to learn to walk before you can run?
That's pretty much the whole point of rookie minicamp. Yes, football activity is happening. Rookie minicamp almost has a first-day-of-school feeling to it. Everything's fresh, and there's an innocence that comes with the clean slate of a new season.
But, as the team development for the 2025 season is in its infancy, this is the time for the most inexperienced players to simply learn.
"We got some on-field work and development of skill relative to the positions that they play," Tomlin said following Saturday's walkthrough with the rookie at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. "But it's also just an introduction to the organization. We had a rookie dinner last night. We gave them a tour of the Steelers (Hall of Honor) Museum at the stadium, for example. So there's an education going on on a lot of fronts, and it's fun to get to know the guys and how they learn, their talents, how their body works, how they take in information, how to communicate."
At this stage, more happens at dinners and in the classroom than on the field. Every team has their own way of doing the same things, so learning the playbook, the lines of communication and the overall mode of operation is critical for players getting their feet wet at the NFL level. It also gives them a more gentle landing by the time OTAs, minicamp and eventually training camp come around.
No position is more complicated than quarterback. Sixth-round pick Will Howard has a lot to learn, all doing so after having to shift gears from a national championship run at Ohio State then a long, arduous draft preparation. During a setting like this, the Steelers aren't wanting to overload him or New Hampshire's Seth Morgan, the other quarterback in attendance at rookie minicamp. That's why this weekend is much more about the process and education, not necessarily showing what they can do with a football in their hands.
"Huddle command and communication, the ability to regurgitate new information," Tomlin said of what he was looking for from Howard this weekend. "And by new information, I mean information that's new to them. I don't want to underscore how difficult it is to receive some of the verbiage from a play caller and have to regurgitate it to 10 others that are waiting for it. And so, some elementary things, but important things nonetheless, the giving and receiving of information is a central component of leadership at that position."
On the other side of the ball, everyone's eager to see the likes of Derrick Harmon and Yahya Black wreak havoc on the interior of the defensive line. Harmon is a first-round pick and a physical clone of Cam Heyward. Black is a breathtaking specimen at 6-5, 342 pounds with 35-inch arms.
Yes, the process of being coached up on the field has begun, but Black does a great job of helping explain the overload of information that happens during this weekend every single year:
"Man, really just trying to soak in everything," Black said. "There's a lot of things out there that they're trying to teach us. Sometimes, you just have to take one things at a time. But, you're really trying to take everything in."
One thing at a time. That's the key for these players right now. As previously mentioned, this one offseason will be different than any other they encounter for the rest of their respective careers. Whether they were drafted or not, all of them just went through a months-long draft process. Their entire focus has been getting a team to take a chance on them. Once that happens, it's an abrupt shift. Getting acclimated to the NFL takes time. So much happens from Monday through Saturday during the season, and this is their orientation.
From here on out, team development only gets more and more complicated. Rookie minicamp wraps up Sunday, with OTAs continuing for the next few weeks, including voluntary practices that start on May 27. Just a few weeks after that is a three-day mandatory minicamp on June 10-12. After a month-long reprieve, it'll be time to head out to Latrobe, Pa., for training camp at Saint Vincent College.
"Obviously, we're at ground zero," Tomlin said. "But it's a great opportunity to get better on days like today, and they've been really engaged. And so the process has been fun."
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