Participants, initial jersey numbers for Steelers rookie minicamp participants
The Pittsburgh Steelers open their rookie minicamp on Friday with 56 players giving their all for a shot at an NFL career.
Some of those players were selected in this year’s NFL Draft, while others were signed as undrafted free agents. The remaining players include first-year eligible athletes who were on a practice squad last season and others who were invited to participate.
Last year’s rookie minicamp produced two new additions from tryouts, University of Pittsburgh linebacker Matt Galambos and Fordham University tight end Phazahn Odom.
Galambos is one of 15 players who enter this weekend with a year of NFL experience. Other notables from those 15 include WR Marcus Tucker, LB Keith Kelsey, TE Jake McGee, DE Lavon Hooks, and LB Farrington Huguenin.
A number of undrafted college free agents will also have their opportunity to shine this weekend. Among those signed following the draft who will be there include Pitt WR Quadree Henderson (pictured above), Villanova CB Trey Johnson, TCU C Patrick Morris, Toledo LB Olasunkanmi Adeniyi, Penn State DT Parker Cothren, and Florida State LB Matthew Thomas.
Christian Scotland-Williamson will also continue his pursuit to convert from rugby to American football. Scotland-Williamson is famous for a rugby hit which went viral at the end of 2017. That hit, show below, led him on a path toward the NFL, where the 6′ 9″ 276 lbs. athlete hopes to play tight end.
https://youtu.be/FrOkanhUfR8
Other players who were invited but not currently under contract vary. Northwestern punter Hunter Niswander comes to camp to assist in special teams drills, while there doesn’t appear to be a kicker in camp this time.
Pitt G Brandon Hodges, cornerbacks Mike Daniels (West Virginia) and Mike Minter Jr. (Middle Tennessee State), wide receivers Tyler Palka (Gannon) and Damoun Patterson (Youngstown State), as well as linebackers Cameron Tarver (California, PA) and Garrett Pougnet (Grand Valley State), are among the local and/or small college players invited on a try out basis.
Former Penn quarterback Alek Torgersen also enters minicamp on a tryout basis after spending time on four different NFL practice squads since the 2017 draft.
The full list of participants
Below is a full list of rookie minicamp participants, along with their assigned uniform numbers as of May 12th, 2018.
| # | Name | Pos | Ht | Wt | Exp | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2-D | Boynton, Malik | CB | 6-0 | 191 | R | Austin Peay |
| 2-O | Rudolph, Mason | QB | 6-5 | 235 | R | Oklahoma St. |
| 3 | Boit, Colin | S | 6-2 | 215 | R | Dartmouth |
| 4 | Cannon, Zykiesis | S | 6-0 | 180 | R | Louisville |
| 5 | Minter, Mike | DB | 6-0 | 174 | R | M. Tenn. St. |
| 6 | Taylor, Jeremy | S | 5-11 | 190 | R | NC A&T |
| 8 | Torgersen, Alek | QB | 6-3 | 229 | R | Penn |
| 8-D | Lurry, Shawun | CB | 5-8 | 180 | R | N. Illinois |
| 9 | Daniels, Mike | CB | 5-11 | 204 | R | West Virginia |
| 10 | Henderson, Quadree | WR | 5-8 | 192 | R | Pittsburgh |
| 13 | Washington, James | WR | 5-11 | 213 | R | Oklahoma St. |
| 14-O | Jones, Tevin | WR | 6-2 | 225 | 1 | Memphis |
| 14-D | Dunn, Wendell | LB | 6-3 | 209 | R | Wake Forest |
| 15-O | Griffey, Trey | WR | 6-3 | 192 | 1 | Arizona |
| 15-D | Love, Courtney | LB | 6-2 | 242 | R | Kentucky |
| 16 | Tucker, Marcus | WR | 5-10 | 190 | 1 | Northern Mich. |
| 17 | Niswander, Hunter | P | 6-5 | 209 | R | Northwestern |
| 18 | Thomas, Justin | WR | 5-11 | 185 | 1 | Georgia Tech |
| 27 | Allen, Marcus | S | 6-2 | 215 | R | Penn St. |
| 28 | Brown, Dorian | RB | 5-11 | 196 | R | Ohio |
| 29 | Craft, Jarred | RB | 6-0 | 222 | R | Louisiana Tech |
| 30 | Summers, Jamar | DB | 6-0 | 190 | R | UCONN |
| 34 | Edmunds, Terrell | S | 6-1 | 217 | R | Virgina Tech |
| 38-D | Johnson, Trey | DB | 5-11 | 170 | R | Villanova |
| 38-O | Samuels, Jaylen | RB | 6-0 | 225 | R | NC State |
| 39 | Summers, James | RB | 6-3 | 210 | 1 | East Carolina |
| 40-O | Franklin, Jarvion | RB | 6-0 | 239 | R | Western Mich. |
| 40-D | Galambos, Matt | LB | 6-1 | 239 | 1 | Pittsburgh |
| 41 | Huguenin, Farrington | LB | 6-4 | 268 | 1 | Kentucky |
| 46-O | Thompson, Brett | TE | 6-4 | 232 | R | Tenn.-Martin |
| 46-D | Thomas, Matthew | LB | 6-3 | 232 | R | Florida St. |
| 49-O | Scotland-Williamson, Christian | TE | 6-9 | 274 | R | Loughborough U. |
| 49-D | Leslie, Darnell | LB | 6-2 | 235 | 1 | Monmouth |
| 54 | Hodges, Brandon | G | 6-4 | 315 | R | Pittsburgh |
| 55 | Kelsey, Keith | LB | 6-0 | 233 | 1 | Louisville |
| 57 | Pougnet, Garrett | LB | 6-3 | 212 | R | Grand Valley St. |
| 60 | Collins, Parker | C | 6-3 | 295 | 1 | Appalachian St. |
| 61-O | Graham, Larson | OT | 6-5 | 292 | 1 | Duquense |
| 61-D | Cothren, Parker | DT | 6-4 | 304 | R | Penn St. |
| 62-O | Morris, Patrick | C | 6-3 | 300 | R | TCU |
| 62-D | Gilmore, Greg | DT | 6-4 | 308 | R | LSU |
| 64-O | Nwokeji, Ikenna | OL | 6-6 | 282 | R | Elon |
| 64-D | Vickers, Kendal | DE | 6-3 | 295 | R | Tennessee |
| 69-D | Frazier, Joshua | DT | 6-3 | 321 | R | Alabama |
| 69-O | Prince, R.J. | T | 6-6 | 311 | R | North Carolina |
| 72 | Cheek, Joseph | OT | 6-7 | 311 | 1 | Texas A&M |
| 74-O | Schleuger, Chris | G | 6-4 | 305 | R | UAB |
| 74-D | Sayles, Casey | DE | 6-3 | 289 | 1 | Ohio U. |
| 76 | Okorafor, Chukwuma | OL | 6-6 | 320 | R | Western Mich. |
| 80 | McGee, Jake | TE | 6-5 | 250 | 1 | Flordia |
| 82 | Palka, Tyler | WR | 6-2 | 200 | R | Gannon |
| 83 | Patterson, Damoun | WR | 6-2 | 192 | R | Youngstown St. |
| 87 | McKever, Pharoah | TE | 6-6 | 248 | R | Florida International |
| 92 | Adeniyi. Olasunkanmi | LB | 6-1 | 248 | R | Toledo |
| 95 | Hooks, Lavon | DE | 6-3 | 312 | 1 | Mississippi |
| N/A | Tarver, Cameron | LB | 6-3 | 255 | R | Cal., Pa. |
| N/A | Zubik, Jesse | WR | 5-10 | 180 | R | Washington & Jefferson |
| N/A | Duncan, Malik | S | 5-10 | 190 | R | St. Francis (PA) |
| N/A | Douglas, Ross | S | 5-10 | 205 | R | Rutgers |
