There are some players on the Steelers roster that are enigmas. This includes draft picks who have been quiet, undrafted free agents who have gotten some buzz, and players that have floated around on the roster.

I compiled a list of the Steelers top 3 mystery players. These aren’t simply players we’ve never heard of, but players who have a legitimate shot at making the 53 man roster.

LJ Fort – ILB

The Steelers have a few roster spots open at linebacker this season. One of the players that will be battling for this spot is inside linebacker LJ Fort.

The Steelers claimed ILB LJ Fort off waivers from the New England Patriots last August in the midst of the preseason. His career has been spent moving around teams after being signed by the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent following the 2012 draft. He has spent time with the Denver Broncos, Seattle Seahawks, and the Cincinnati Bengals until eventually settling with the Steelers. He spent most of his season with the Steelers on the practice squad, but managed to make the  53 man roster in late December once Roosevelt Nix was placed on injured reserve.

Not much is known about Fort beyond the coaches trusting him as a special teams player. Though his experience is minimal, his limited playing time and season spent with the team does give him an edge to make the 53 man roster. It is also worth noting that when Fort was promoted to the roster, acclaimed special teams player Ross Ventrone was resigned to the practice squad.

We were given some more insite on Fort recently when he did an interview with Steelers.com. His interview shows that he plays with a very tough mindset and with a lot of passion.

What is your football mindset?
“Warrior, that’s it. When you get on the field it is an opportunity to inflict punishment on somebody else.” – LJ Fort

The Steelers lost many of their key special teams players this offseason. ILB Terrance Garvin, famous for breaking the jaw of Bengals punter Kevin Huber, was signed to the Washington Redskins. CB Antwon Blake, infamous for his poor play in 2015, was signed by the Tennessee Titans. ILB Sean Spence was also signed by the Titans. Robert Golden, the teams 2015 special teams captain, was retained by the Steelers on a 3 year contract, but his anticipated increased role on defense may reduce his special teams snaps.

These key special teams losses, combined with Fort’s special teams experience and his warrior-mentality gives him a definite shot to make the 53 man roster

Doran Grant – CB

He most likely has the greatest chance to make the roster among this list but Doran Grant is still a mystery to fans. Unlike young Steelers such as Bud Dupree or Sammie Coates, searching for news on Grant doesn’t yield many results. Despite being a fourth round pick out of Ohio State, he’s often forgotten and gets virtually no buzz.

At least one writer on the internet believes in Grant. Tony Defeo of Cover 32 wrote an optimistic article on Grant, claiming that despite the depth chart in front of him and the seemingly long odds, he has just as good of a chance as anyone.

“Grant got reps as a member of the practice squad. He also had a whole year to immerse himself in first year defensive coordinator Keith Butler’s playbook”

A year to learn and study is always beneficial to young players and is not a rarity in Pittsburgh. Cornerback is often regarded as one of the toughest positions in the NFL so it would be unwise to rush any young player into a role they’re not ready for. The Steelers may have not played Grant in 2015 because they wanted to give him more time to learn and not rush him into action.

I had written in a previous article, 2016 Projections for the Steelers 2015 Draft Class, how ideally Grant could turn into a William Gay type player. They have similar measurables and playing styles. Though it doesn’t help his case that Gay was resigned to a new contract, Grant should capitalize on the situation and absorb as much knowledge from the veteran as possible.

Grant’s primary value in 2016 may not even come in the form of playing in the secondary. Grant has the prime opportunity to seize a role as a key special teams player. As I wrote earlier, many key special team players departed during the offseason, which presents an opportunity for Grant to be a contributor to the team. One consistent praise Grant got throughout being scouted in college was his reliable tackling; this will be key for Grant to prove why he deserves to be on this roster. He is a player to keep an eye on this offseason for it is entirely unknown if he can be an asset or if he’s just another cornerback bust for the Steelers.

Xavier Grimble – TE

One young player that has gotten a fair share of buzz is tight end Xavier Grimble. Grimble is a player to pay attention to this offseason; he is a more modern tight end compared to Matt Spaeth and David Johnson. Rather than being a big, lumbering tight end who is exclusively a blocker, he has athleticism that can only be matched by Ladarius Green. However, it takes much more than athleticism to succeed as a tight end for the Steelers. He must display work ethic, toughness, and show that he is a capable blocker. Grimble showed he understands this expectation in an interview with Jacob Klinger of Penn Live:

“Pittsburgh has a standard here. They want all TEs to be able to block. That’s kind of how we roll… They kind of base your value on how well you can block. Everybody can run around and catch balls.” – Xavier Grimble

Grimble understands what he must do in order to make this roster. He certainly has a chip on his shoulder, for he is no stranger to being cut. He was originally signed by the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent following the 2014 draft and was eventually cut following training camp. Following his shortcomings in New York he bounced around various practice squads, including the San Francisco 49ers and New England Patriots, until eventually coming to Pittsburgh in 2015. He was able to stay with the team during the entire 2015 season on the practice squad. He has capitalized on his opportunity in Pittsburgh, even impressing Steelers GM Kevin Colbert.

After all of his trials and tribulations, Grimble is finally in a positions to make a 53 man roster. Matt Spaeth, though a consistent blocker, lacks versatility and is gradually being plagued by injuries and age. David Johnson was recently re-signed and although he has versatility, it’s still unknown how much he has left in the tank. Grimble has a prime opportunity to prove his potential and make the roster. Kevin Colbert likes what he see’s in Grimble, now it’s up to him to seize this opportunity.