Dri Archer out to prove the doubters wrong

Dri Archer is no stranger to being overlooked, both figuratively and literally.

His small stature of 5-foot-8 tends to have him blend in with a crowd, but its the figurative overlooking that fuels the Kent State product.

In a recent interview with reporters, he told Steelers.com about the chip that he has carried on his shoulders since he was in High School.

"I used nobody else offering me a scholarship as a chip on my shoulder, I always play with a chip on my shoulder and try to show the world what they missed out on. Kent was lucky enough to have me on their team. There are always going to be people that doubt you. They tell me I am too small. I am too short. I am not going to be able to play college football and I did that. They told me I wouldn’t make it to the pros and I got drafted. I just play with a chip on my shoulder now to try and prove everyone wrong. I like being told those things. It motivates me. It makes me want to grind harder and try to motivate myself."

This certainly isn't the first NFL player that has been fueled by the disappointment of not being drafted, not getting into a bigger NCAA school or even getting the playing time they thought they deserved. Nonetheless, that motivation and that drive can sometimes lead to success, and that is something the Steelers hope Archer will help provide this season and seasons to come.

Archer is a player that can change a game every time he touches the football, and at his size in an overgrown NFL, a little attitude never hurt anyone. Hines Ward had that attitude, and even Ben Roethlisberger has been vocal about going up against teams that could have drafted him in the first round of the 2014 Draft but instead chose to pass on the MAC product.

If the Steelers caught lightning in a bottle with the Archer selection, it will only make the special teams and offense that much more electrifying and dangerous in 2014.