Steelers rookie minicamp a trial by fire

Pittsburgh Steelers' first round draft pick, Ryan Shazier, told Steelers.com, "the information is flying at you," and that might be putting it mildly. The Steelers had their first of three rookie minicamp sessions today and the rookies were thrown into the fire to see what they are capable of in terms of retaining the playbook and applying it on the field.

"It was a good first day out here on the field working with the guys" nose tackle Daniel McCullers said. "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."

Room for improvement is a understatement. Wait until the veterans show up and won't want to tolerate rookie mistakes. Shazier knows that although this minicamp is short, it is extremely beneficial to the newly acquired players "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."

With contracts bound to be given to these rookies soon, nothing is more important than a first impression on the coaching staff, and although mistakes are bound to happen showing that they can retain a brand new playbook with new terminology will go a long way towards them making the Steelers' 53-man roster.

"There is a lot to learn," said the speedster Dri Archer after Friday's session. "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."

With the draft process over, it is now time for the acclimation to the Steelers program to begin, and with only three full days to get that process underway calling it a trial by fire might be generous. The rookies will be on the field again at 7 a.m. Saturday and wrap up Sunday with a short session.