Speedy safety from Oklahoma 1st 7th round pick

PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Steelers assistant head coach Joe Whitt said they were surprised Robert Spears-Jennings was available in the seventh round with his speed. Steelers got the Oklahoma safety with the 224^th overall pick.

Whitt said he has the height, weight, speed and ability to get people on the ground. He played 47 games in college with 25 starts including eight tackles for loss, two interceptions, five forced fumbles and five pass breakups. The 6’1”, 205-pound defensive back ran a 4.32 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine and has the seventh best athleticism score among safeties.

“I’m a plug-and-play guy, you can put me anywhere on the field,” Spears-Jennings said. “I can play in the box. I can play in the post. I can play backer. It doesn’t really matter to me.”

Whitt said they will bring him in and see where he fits, special teams are the first option to get on the field. Spears-Jennings said he played all four special teams units his first three years in college.

“That’s the quickest way to get on the bus, I’m willing to play it,” Spears-Jennings said Saturday.

“Pittsburgh Steelers, certain type of guys we want to bring in here, especially with Mike,” Whitt said. “He’s the type of kid, he plays extremely hard. When he does get knocked down, you can see he gets up and has a grittiness about himself. That’s the type of kid we want on our defense and on our team.”

Spears-Jennings lists Oklahoma as home, but came from a military family and moved a lot. He doesn’t bemoan that, rather he believes it’s helped him get to where he is.

“I can’t thank it enough,” Spears-Jennings said, playing all four years at Oklahoma. “It made me accountable. It made me learn how to work with a team because I’m always moving around. I adapt well, very coachable. That’s what the military did for me.”

He’s likely to move around a lot on the field to start his career, but glad to have a new home with the Steelers.