The Pittsburgh Steelers OTA camp just wrapped up and there was a slew of players who showed real improvement. The five players that jumped out as real risers from the events were Cory Trice Jr., Anthony McFarland Jr., Joey Porter Jr., Calvin Austin and Mark Robinson.

Cory Trice Jr.

With one of the last picks in the 2023 draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers selected Cory Trice Jr. out of Purdue. Surprisingly however, many draft analysts and even NFL teams had Trice with evaluations between rounds two and four. Trice fell because of injury concerns as his ability to stay healthy throughout college was suspect. Once he arrived at the Steelers’ facility, Trice has been making large strides as a player and a teammate. According to Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, Trice is a “lockdown corner.” Many of the veteran players are impressed with his ability as well. If Trice is able to stay on the field and perform at the level he is capable of, he easily could be the starting cornerback for the foreseeable future.

Anthony McFarland Jr.

Anthony McFarland Jr. was acquired by the Steelers in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL draft. Since then, he has barely seen any actual playing time during games. Coming out of college, it was clear he has the speed and explosiveness to be a game breaker out of the backfield. He has further proven that notion during this offseason. This speed is something that the run game could really use. While Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren are both great, they are relatively limited to inside runs. With McFarland, the Steelers would be able to run a lot more outside zone which doesn’t allow defenses to crash the inside. The Steelers had very little variety in their already effective run game in 2022. With this hypothetical wrinkle, they could have the best rushing attack in the league.

Joey Porter Jr.

Joey Porter Jr. was the absolute perfect pick for the Steelers at 32. The son of the former Steeler legend has stood out in many ways throughout OTA’s. His length and strength at the line has proven to be extremely effective in press-man coverage. Coach Tomlin talked about how sharp he is mentally and how he has Steeler culture in his blood. Veteran cornerback Patrick Peterson has also recently gone viral among Steeler pages for mentoring Porter Jr. during the Steelers OTA. If Porter Jr. can become even an above-average starting corner, the Steelers could be lethal on defense.

Calvin Austin

In the 2021 draft, the Steelers selected Calvin Austin out of Memphis. Austin spent the entire year on the injured reserve and didn’t see the field once. Essentially, 2023 will be Austin’s rookie season and he is already killing it in practice. Coaches are raving about his speed and explosiveness before and after the catch. This was known about Austin as he ran a 4.32 40-yard dash and had many explosive plays at Memphis. A much larger jump was his expanded versatility and route running. Austin confirmed himself that he has been getting reps as both inside and outside receiver. A trio of him along with Diontae Johnson and George Pickens would allow for complete flexibility as all three receivers can play both positions.

Mark Robinson

Unlike the other four players featured in this article, Mark Robinson actually has shown a lot of flashes on the field. Robinson played in four games last season and even started two. This was only due to various injuries but he did prove he could play at an NFL level. In addition, Robinson has earned a lot of starting reps in the Steelers OTA due to injuries. At the very least, he could be solid depth at the linebacker position. However, if Robinson is able to progress more than most expect, he could take over a starting linebacker role and impact the defense.

Stay tuned for more exciting NFL content, including roster moves, in depth analysis, and more news from around the league. 

Feature image courtesy of Steelers.com

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• Source: https://thegamehaus.com/nfl/pittsburgh-steelers-ota-risers-and-takeaways/2023/06/22/