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The Pittsburgh Steelers were back on the football field Friday, well, not all of the Steelers. The rookies, and minicamp invitees, were given a shot to impress coaches and earn their spot on the team’s 90-man offseason roster.
But for the seven players drafted in the 2018 NFL Draft, they have started the process of learning the playbook and getting acclimated to life in the NFL.
Following the Steelers draft, fans were furious with the fact the team did not draft an inside linebacker. News of Pittsburgh failing to trade up and draft Rashaan Evans, then not making a pick at the position on all three days of draft just compounded the fan base’s confusion and overall questioning of the thought process of those in charge of the entire process.
Shortly after the draft, and the team selecting two big, hard-hitting, safeties, ideas began swirling of the team possibly using Terrell Edmunds and/or Marcus Allen as hybrid linebackers in the team’s sub packages. Fans were skeptical, to say the least, and after Day 1 it seems the team has already started the process with first round pick Terrell Edmunds.
This per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN:
The Steelers putting Terrell Edmunds’ versatility to the test early in minicamp. Edmunds (No. 34), who looks every bit of 217 pounds, said he played safety and linebacker snaps for the defense on Day 1. pic.twitter.com/ztXXEW2xEl
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) May 11, 2018
While this doesn’t mean the safety/linebacker experiment will be successful, it does verify the thoughts of the transition of a bigger, more athletic, safety playing the inside linebacker position while being able to cover and stop the run.
No, it isn’t an easy job replacing Ryan Shazier, but it seems like the Steelers are being creative with their options in doing so.
Stay tuned to BTSC for the latest news and notes from rookie minicamp, as well as the rest of the team as they prepare for the regular season.