Grading the rookies after 1st Steelers game

PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – A game in, let’s look at how the 2026 Steelers rookie class performed in the first preseason game Thursday against the Packers.

1^st round OT Max Iheanachor

• Incomplete, did not play with a shoulder/neck injury. He did take some limited reps during the last camp practice and Friday against the Jets could be in play.

2^nd round WR Germie Bernard

• Rarely getting first-team reps, Bernard looked like a vet on the field with four catches on five targets for 51 yards in limited action. Mason Rudolph praised him after the game for his work.

3^rd round QB Drew Allar

• Star of the Game with three touchdown drives of 80, 89 and 60 yards finishing with a pair of touchdown passes and a TD run on a read-option-ish play. He was 10-13 for 153 yards and a 154.8 quarterback rating. Eli Heidenreich praised him for his leadership as well.

3^rd round CB Daylen Everette

• If not for the amazing camp Asante Samuel, Junior is having, Everette might be getting more attention. The rookie had four total tackles playing a bunch of defensive reps and one of those tackles was on special teams.

3^rd round OG Gennings Dunker

• The rookie guard got a bunch of third-string reps and is continuing to work on fundamentals in practice. There wasn’t anything glaring, which often for an offensive lineman is a good sign

4^th round KR/WR Kaden Wetjen

• If there was a Star of the Game ‘1A’ it would Wetjen with a 74-yard catch-and-run in the third quarter, followed later by a touchdown catch. The return totals were pedestrian (2 for 10 yards on punt, 3 for 61 yards on kickoff), but overall an amazing first game by the most scrutinized pick in the Steelers draft.

5^th round FB Riley Nowakowski

• He missed an opportunity for an early touchdown on a ball a little low, but catchable from Allar, but made up for it later with a four-yard TD grab. Has been used often in practice and can play special teams, seems to be a good fit to this point.

6^th round DE Gabriel Rubio

• He fought injuries and lack of playing time (eight starts) at Notre Dame and when he was drafted even the post ardent draft followers didn’t really know who he was. 6’5”, 290 pounds, Rubio was the second-leading tackler Thursday with six and stout on the line. Still an outside shot to be on the 53-man roster, but making a strong case for the practice squad.

7^th round S Robert Spears-Jennings

• Given so many reps due to the limited participation by safety DeShon Elliott, the rookie has impressed. He had three solo tackles including a tackle for loss against the Packers. The 6’2”, 205-pound safety had 178 tackles at Oklahoma and is versatile with special teams impact likely in year one.

7^th round RB Eli Heidenreich

• The hometown hero from Mt. Lebanon and the Naval Academy got the last reps at running back with nine carries for 21 yards. Heidenreich missed a few practices with an undisclosed injury. Making the roster is a huge battle with several other running backs in the mix.

Steelers host the Jets for game two Friday, August 21 on KDKA-TV at 7p.