If there is one thing we all understand it is that Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin puts a high priority on conditioning. This is especially true of rookies and their playing time.
When the Steelers drafting safety Sean Davis, Tomlin praised his conditioning and said it played directly into why he played in all 16 games as a rookie and got nine starts. Same for wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster when he reported to camp in excellent condition. He earned seven rookie starts as well.
With rookie minicamp taking place in a virtual setting and Tomlin unable to assess rookie conditioning in person, it will be up to these young men to get themselves in the best physical shape they can before camps open up. Pittsburgh may not need guys like wide receiver Chase Claypool and edge Alex Highsmith to start but if they aren’t at the level of conditioning Tomlin wants, their options for any meaningful reps will be limited.
