Five Takeaways from Steelers Minicamp Day 3: Payton Wilson Eyes 3-Down Role, Another New Guy Who Gets it

Yahoo

15-06-2025

PITTSBURGH — One of the most unexpected departures of the 2025 offseason for the Pittsburgh Steelers was popular, hard-hitting linebacker Elandon Roberts, who ended up leaving in free agency to sign with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Roberts signed in Vegas after the Steelers preemptively added his replacement, by adding Malik Harrison from the Baltimore Ravens on a two-year, $10 million contract.
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Roberts started 14 games for the Steelers last season, playing 478 snaps, mostly on first and second downs as a powerful run-stopper. Behind him, rookie Payton Wilson played 492 snaps, mostly in passing situations as a coverage specialist.
So with Roberts gone and the 6-foot-3, 255-pound Harrison in the fold — even down to wearing Roberts' old No. 50 — it looked like a 1-to-1 replacement.
Pittsburgh Steelers inside linebacker Malik Harrison at OTAs on June 5, 2025. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
Wilson has had some other ideas about that.
The team's third-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Wilson has set out to prove that he can be a three-down player at the NFL level, and so far, the Steelers seem to be on board with that plan. Wilson has been the team's primary starter alongside Patrick Queen throughout all of the spring practice sessions.
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'I think I've gotten a lot better in the run game and understanding NFL run schemes,' Wilson said after the team's final minicamp practice on Thursday. 'Last year, we had E-Rob, and me and him were complete opposites in a sense, so when it was big run downs, obviously, they wanted E-Rob in. I'm just excited to show that I can play every down, whether that's Dime, second down or 4th and 1 at the 1-yard line. I just want to be out there every snap.'
Part of what made Roberts a successful run-stuffer was his stature. Three inches shorter than Wilson, he weighed in at just four pounds lighter. But it wasn't just the mass that he was accelerating toward the line of scrimmage that made him a special run stopper, and new Steelers linebackers coach Scott McCurley thinks that Wilson can also become elite in that area of the game, despite his lanky stature.
'It's understanding, it's experience and awareness in the run game as much as anything,' McCurley said. 'I like his size. I think he's a strong player. It's just getting that experience in the run game, understanding where his fits are, the looks from the offense, how they're going to block him. … He's getting there. You talk about a guy who works at it. He understands how he wants to take the next step.'
The real test won't come until the pads go on in Latrobe, but so far, so good for Wilson in looking to lock down a starting linebacker role.
A-Rod Can Still Rip It
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers at minicamp on June 12, 2025. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
Aaron Rodgers is one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history, and he's probably most well-known for his otherworldly arm strength and the velocity he's able to put on the football.
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Of course, the version of Rodgers that the Steelers are getting is 41 years old. So it's fair for many to wonder if he still has his fastball.
After three days of minicamp at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, it's easy to see that the old man still has it. His delivery still looks as effortless as ever. The amount of velocity he gets on throws, even from odd foot placements, is incredible.
Even at 41, he throws the ball as hard as any quarterback I've ever covered and he does it with a degree of nonchalance that makes you think he could probably put a little bit more on it, if he really wanted to.
Just being able to throw the ball hard doesn't mean Rodgers will be a success with the Steelers — he certainly wasn't with the Jets — but when it comes to concerns about bringing in an aging player as a free agent, him being up to snuff physically should put a lot of concerns to rest.
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He looked fluid moving out of the pocket, too. Rodgers' days as a mobile threat are long gone, but you couldn't tell from watching him move this week that he's two years removed from an Achilles tear.
Despite not taking a team rep, it was a very positive week in multiple ways for Rodgers' tenure with the Steelers.
Another New Guy Who Gets It
Pittsburgh Steelers safety Juan Thornhill at minicamp on June 10, 2025. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
Last offseason, the Steelers brought in Queen, DeShon Elliott and Donte Jackson as three veteran additions to their defense, who not only fit a need in terms of Xs and Os play, but also were immediate culture fits with the club.
Elliott and Jackson brought a ton of energy and competitiveness to the secondary. Queen was an immediate leader and tone-setter for the defense. They were just guys that seemed to — on Day One — understand what it meant to play for the Steelers.
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New safety Juan Thornhill is another member of that club. He has plenty of experience with the AFC North, having just spent two seasons with the Cleveland Browns, and he seems ready to get back to the winning ways that he knew as a two-time Super Bowl champion with the Kansas City Chiefs.
'I'm just excited about this season to really go out there and show the world who I really am,' Thornhill said. 'I carry myself as someone who is very vocal.'
Yeah, look out for No. 22 at training camp.
New-Look Heyward
Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Connor Heyward at OTAs on June 5, 2025. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
With Donald Parham out for the season, there have been plenty of pass-catching reps available for the rest of the Steelers tight ends available, and Darnell Washington has certainly made strides in that area and is starting to look like the player many hoped he'd become when he was selected in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft out of Georgia.
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But don't count out the Steelers' other returning tight end, Connor Heyward. Heyward has gotten some strong praise from the coaching staff this week, with head coach Mike Tomlin taking notice of his greatly improved conditioning and tight ends coach Alfredo Roberts saying that Heyward has made the most of improved opportunities.
'Connor Heyward has been a heck of a route-runner,' Roberts said.
Heyward has done a little bit of everything in his time with the Steelers. He's been a solid special teamer, he's playing fullback, running back, H-back, and inline tight end. But he hasn't really excelled at any of those spots to this point, despite his versatility.
Heyward admitted that the transition from being a college player with one job to a pro with five or six made it tough for him to get the details of every position nailed down. But he now feels that he's physically and mentally up to the challenge of a bigger role in 2025.
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'I think, finally, it's all come together,' Heyward said. 'From the fullback, to the tight end, slot. Obviously, special teams, I've done that at high level, but, you know, at some point, they're looking for you to make plays. They don't want people to just be special team players, you know, sometimes we have guys that are like that, but like Mike T says, the more you can do.'
Heyward has put on some weight, now playing at 240 pounds, but has also gotten into better physical condition at the same time, and he looks like a player poised for his best season yet.
Pittsburgh Steelers offensive linemen Mason McCormick and Zach Frazier at OTAs on May 28, 2025. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
The Steelers will have some newness to their offensive line in 2025, with Broderick Jones flipping to left tackle and Troy Fautanu starting at right tackle after missing almost all of the 2024 season with a knee injury.
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But in other ways, it's almost the entire same group back from last season. The entire Steelers two-deep offensive line roster is players that were here last year:
Broderick Jones, Isaac Seumalo, Zach Fraizer, Mason McCormick, Troy Fautanu
Dylan Cook, Max Scharping, Ryan McCollum, Spencer Anderson, Calvin Anderson
That makes for a pretty cohesive group, even this early in the offseason.
'It's huge, man,' McCollum said. 'We're all working together. We're all buddies. The camaraderie is already there, and just keeps on developing. … We're all kind of going through the same stages of life, so we related not only on the football field, but off the football field, so that just helps our relationship. We truly are buddies inside this locker room and outside this facility, so that helps.'
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This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Five Takeaways from Steelers Minicamp Day 3: Payton Wilson Eyes 3-Down Role, Another New Guy Who Gets it
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