There’s no truth to the rumor that Pittsburgh Steelers defensive line coach Domata Peko this weekend was asking people about the new prospect at his position the team had brought in for rookie minicamp.

That big No. 39? He’s no defensive lineman.

He’s a punter.

“I mean, when we first got here, I made it pretty established, like, ‘Hey, I’m a punter. I’m not anything else,’” that punter, Gabriel Nwosu, said Saturday.

Standing 6-foot-6 and weighing 296 pounds, that punter is bigger than possible future Hall of Fame Steelers defensive tackle Cameron Heyward (listed at 6-5, 295). Darnell Washington (6-7) is the only player on the team’s 90-man roster taller.

But Nwosu wasn’t invited to rookie minicamp (on a tryout basis) to show skills occupying blockers or rushing the passer. He was there to compete for what appears to be an open spot as the No. 2 training camp punter.

“People question me every day about it,” Nwosu said of his position, “but I show why I’m a punter.”

Penn State’s kickoff specialist since 2022, Nwosu took up a dual role in handling the Nittany Lions punts this past season. He averaged 46.0 yards on 38 boots in 2025, earning third-team All-Big Ten honors from the conference’s coaches.

Signed up

The Steelers put pen to paper with three more draft picks, announcing the signings of Daylen Everette, Gennings Dunker and Riley Nowakowski.

Everette, a cornerback out of Georgia, and Dunker, a guard from Iowa, were third-round picks. Nowakowski was a fifth-round fullback from Indiana.

All contract values for draft picks are effectively predetermined by a slotting system established by the collective bargaining agreement between the NFL and its players union.

Everette, Dunker and Nowakowski join fourth-round return specialist Kaden Wetjen, sixth-round defensive tackle Gabriel Rubio and seventh-round defensive back Robert Spears-Jennings as Steelers draft picks who are signed less than two weeks after the completion of he draft.

Four picks remain unsigned. That would not become an issue until the start of training camp, but all are expected to be inked by then.

Short weekend

New coach Mike McCarthy said rookie camp was to wrap up Saturday night, even as it was originally scheduled as a three-day event.

“We felt it was important for them to be home for Mother’s Day,” McCarthy said after Saturday’s session. “And then we’ll start with those guys with our veterans Monday.

“Very pleased with the amount of work and the quality of work that we’ve been able to accomplish with these young men. We’ve taken a very slow approach. I’ve kind of gone to this format probably the last 10, 12 years. It just gives a chance to really get everybody acclimated and have a clear understanding of the expectation of how we operate here with the Steelers.”