Getting to know the Steelers 2023 UDFAs: Jordan Byrd

After the Pittsburgh Steelers selected seven players in the 2023 NFL draft, they continued adding to the roster with seven undrafted free agents. With many draft profiles focusing on those players towards the top and middle of the NFL draft, it is time to get to take a look at these other members of the Pittsburgh Steelers who will have just as much opportunity to make the roster in 2023 as those who were selected in the draft, despite the more difficult path.

Remember, some draft profiles for these players are quite harsh as they are looking at them as a draftable prospect. Taking a flyer on an UDFA is a completely different story as many times the potential the player shows is what lands them on an NFL offseason roster.

First on the list is San Diego State wide receiver and kick returner Jordan Byrd.

Jordan Byrd

Wide receiver/kick returner
Red-shirt Senior
San Diego State
5’7” 166 lbs

Playing running back for five seasons at San Diego State, Byrd appeared in 56 games where he had 275 rushing attempts for 1,353 yards and 12 touchdowns. Byrd also had 47 receptions for 218 yards and a touchdown. As a kick returner, Byrd had 81 kick returns for 2,020 yards and three touchdowns with a 24.9 yards per return average. As for punt returns, Byrd had 67 returns for 445 yards with a 6.6 yards per return average and a touchdown.

Current Steelers at the position:

Wide receiver

1. Diontae Johnson
2. George Pickens
3. Allen Robinson
4. Gunner Olszewski
5. Miles Boykin
6. Cody White
7. Anthony Miller
8. Calvin Austin III
9. Ja’Marcus Bradley
10. Dan Chisena
11. Dez Fitzpatrick
12. Jordan Byrd

Draft Profiles:

There was no draft profile of Byrd from any of the major outlets. Here is a player news report on Byrd from draftscout.com from December:

2022 ALL-MOUNTAIN WEST FOOTBALL FIRST TEAM: KR & PR - Jordan Byrd, Sr., San Diego State,...Byrd became the first San Diego State player to make a MW first team at both kick returner and punt returner. The preseason MW Special Teams Player of the Year, Byrd has returned 19 kickoffs for 487 yards (25.6 avg.) with a 95-yard touchdown and also returned 17 punts for 115 yards (6.8 avg.) and another score. It is Byrd’s third career all-MW award at kick returner, having been a second-team pick in 2020 and a first-team selection in 2021.Byrd has also rushed 91 times for a team-high 389 yards (4.3 avg.) with three touchdowns, while adding eight catches for 53 yards (6.6 avg.) with a touchdown, making him the first FBS player with at least one rushing touchdown, receiving touchdown, kick return touchdown and punt return touchdown in the same season since Temple’s Isaiah Wright in 2018 and just the second MW player in league history (also former Aztec Rashaad Penny in 2017). Byrd leads the MW in combined kick/punt return yards (602, 8th in FBS) and kick return yards (487, 8th in FBS), and is tied for first in kick return touchdowns (1, T-2nd in FBS) and punt return touchdowns (1, T-5th in FBS), second in kick return average (25.63, 11th in FBS) and fourth in punt return yards (115, T-48th in FBS). - San Diego State Football

Film:

To finish off the breakdown of Jordan Byrd, no evaluation is complete without film: