It wasn't long ago that the Pittsburgh Steelers held their rookie mini camp and their future starting quarterback was there on a tryout basis. That was in 2019 when rookie Devlin 'Duck' Hodges was invited to join the Steelers on the South Side. He impressed the Steelers enough to be brought into training camp. He would be released after training camp, but then return to the practice squad. When Ben Roethlisberger was lost for the season, Hodges was brought in to back-up Mason Rudolph.
Then in a game against the Baltimore Ravens, Earl Thomas would hit Rudolph with a cheap shot to the face, and in went Hodges. From there, the legend of Duck would be born.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin acknowledged that as they put their eyes on a lot of players they're not familiar with this weekend, but who could soon be thrust into the spot light:
"We're really watching a lot of guys who are putting their best foot forward in an effort to maybe launch their NFL careers. So we're excited about that as well. A number of years ago, we had a guy, Duck Hodges out here," Tomlin said with a smile. "And we didn't know that he would start some games for us at quarterback, for example. And so you work out here in these circumstances with an edge."
Beyond the Steelers rookie draft class, and undrafted free agents, they've invited a number of other players to participate with a chance to impress and get an invitation to training camp. There are usually always a few invitees' that end up bumping a few of the undrafted free agents off the roster once rookie camp concludes.
Mike Tomlin’s opening statement from #Steelers rookie minicamp, with a special shout out to @DevlinHodges10 🦆 @937theFan pic.twitter.com/RuqtJpz3GT
— Josh Rowntree (@JRown32) May 14, 2022
"You really respect all the participants," Tomlin said. "You look at what they have to offer, you forecast how they could get better here in the next few months, and then you make the necessary decision. So we're very much in the midst of that. It's been a highly productive weekend. We expect it to convey continue as we continue to press forward."
With Tomlin always involved in the scouting aspect, you can tell that he enjoys getting to see some of these little known players up close and in person.
"We're really excited about the work that's being done here. It's an introductory weekend. It's an opportunity to kind of get to know them, for them to get to know us. The things that we're trying to build here environmentally, the culture, familiarize ourselves with our draft picks and our rookie free agents."
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