It’s the first chance for dozens of players to take to an NFL practice field wearing NFL practice jerseys. And for many, it’s the only chance.
Setting aside those who will be taking part in Pittsburgh Steelers rookie minicamp on a tryout basis — and therefore almost certainly won’t be around for practices when the veterans show up — here are five things to keep an eye on for Friday through Sunday as the 2026 rookie minicamp is conducted at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex:
1. Left or right?
As the first-round pick, Max Iheanachor was always going to be the star attraction for this setting. He naturally is projected as most likely of any of the rookies to become a star or have a long and fruitful career.
In Iheanachor’s case, though, might come the only morsel of actual news. Will he rep mostly at left tackle, or right tackle? It seems highly unlikely he would do so at guard, but perhaps even for a rep or two, could he?
The left-or-right question is of relevance to the 2026 Steelers because it could signal not only the obvious of what the Steelers’ plans might be for their marquee rookie, it also could help illuminate the status of incumbent starting tackles Broderick Jones and Troy Fautanu.
Is the organization lacking confidence that Jones is recovered from his season-ending neck injury — or even in his ability to ever truly be a franchise starting left tackle? Are the coaches preparing to move Fautanu to the left side?
It would be foolish to read too much into what happens during rookie camp walkthroughs. But it also could provide our first clues as to the direction of the Steelers’ 2026 offensive line.
2. I, Max
Let’s not forget when discussing Iheanachor that he is still viewed as relatively raw, as anyone who did not play organized football until he got to college would be. Again, it is very early, but surely the Steelers coaching staff will have a better idea of how much polish and refining Iheanachor’s game needs after this coming weekend than it did before it.
Fautanu, for example, impressed coaches almost immediately after being a first-round pick in 2024 — and he was ultimately rewarded by a quick depth-chart promotion. Of course, Fautanu was a five-year college player whose scouting report predicted he could be plug-and-play. But Iheanachor has a shot at making his first impression for Steelers coaches to be a good one.
3. All in on Allar?
If the highest-profile rookie isn’t the first-round draft pick, it’s got to be the quarterback who starred in-state in college and led his team to the national semifinals.
Time will tell if Drew Allar can develop into the Steelers’ quarterback of the future, but the first steps in getting that opportunity begin Friday.
Allar has the size (6-foot-5, 228 pounds) and rocket arm. He must have enough football acumen/IQ to have impressed new coach Mike McCarthy enough during the pre-draft process.
Even in the slow-paced, low-stakes environment of rookie minicamp, rest assured that McCarthy, offensive coordinator Brian Angelichio and quarterbacks coach Tom Arth will be watching closely to see if Allar’s footwork is crisp, his throws accurate, his on-field command on point.
4. Just 2 G’s
The two rookies, as things stand currently, with the greatest chance to start Week 1 are a pair of Day 2 draft choices whose first names begin with a “G” — Germie Bernard and Gennings Dunker.
Bernard immediately went atop any unofficial depth chart at slot receiver after he was a second-round choice out of Alabama. A third-round pick from Iowa, Dunker perhaps also is the odds-on favorite to win the starting left guard gig.
A tackle in college, Dunker’s path isn’t as assured. Though the reigning three-year starter at that spot, Isaac Seumalo, left in free agency, the Steelers returned his reliable backup Spencer Anderson and also signed Brock Hoffman in free agency. It figures to be a three-way battle, but Dunker probably has the highest ceiling. Can he begin to display so as soon as this weekend?
Part of Bernard’s appeal to the Steelers was that he was seen as a high-floor, cerebral receiver. Him showing that soon after arriving in Pittsburgh would make Steelers fans a lot more comfortable about the depth of their WR corps for the coming season.
5. Who’s the breakout?
Last season, safety Sebastian Castro and receiver Ke’Shawn Williams were undrafted rookies who combined to appear in 16 regular-season games for the Steelers. In 2024, Beanie Bishop served as the top slot/nickel as a rookie despite not being drafted.
Tre Norwood (2020), Anderson (2023) and Carson Bruener (2025) are recent examples of Steelers seventh-round picks who made the season-opening 53-man roster as rookies and hung around the rest of the year on it.
Who is the proverbial diamond in the rough among this rookie class? Is it the local kid, Mt. Lebanon’s Eli Heidenreich? How about fellow seventh-rounder Gabriel Rubio? Maybe an undrafted player such as USC’s Luke McRee, who is well in the running to earn the No. 3 tight end job.
Perhaps there’s even one of those tryouts who raises eyebrows. It is not atypical for the Steelers to sign a player off a rookie camp tryout.