The Pittsburgh Steelers finished the season with an astonishing nine rookies on the 53-man roster. And of those nine, seven of them had significant roles on a team that was decimated by injuries. We were definitely impressed by many of this 2019 draft class and they give a ton of hope for the future of this team.
Here are our final season rankings for the Steelers rookie class
1-WR Diontae Johnson
The guy who was drafted to replace Antonio Brown looked like Brown at times during the season. Johnson led the team in receptions (59), receiving yards (680) and receiving touchdowns (5). His rookie campaign will go down as one of the best in Steelers history.
2-LB Devin Bush
There was a point in the middle of the season where Bush was not only the best rookie on the Steelers but was of the best defensive rookies in the NFL. But Pittsburgh pulled him back for several games to help him avoid the rookie wall, which cut into his numbers. Nevertheless, Bush led the team with 109 total tackles and 72 solo tackles. He also pitched in one sack and two interceptions.
3-RB Benny Snell Jr.
When injuries piled up at the running back position, Snell was forced into duty late in the season. He nearly led the team in carries and rushing yards with 108 carries and 426 rushing yards. Pittsburgh is going to have some decisions to make at running back and Snell made a strong case for next season.
4-QB Devlin Hodges
For a while, Duck Mania was running rampant through Pittsburgh. Hodges started six games for the Steelers and went 3-3. And while his stats didn’t really impress, the fact an undrafted kid out of Samford was able to win three NFL starts was remarkable.
5-DL Isaiah Buggs
When Stephon Tuitt went down with injury, Tyson Alualu stepped into the starting role. But filling his spot as the top rotational defensive lineman was Buggs. He didn’t get a ton of snaps but you can see his potential to be disruptive.
6-RB Kerrith Whyte
The Steelers poached Whyte from the Chicago Bears because of his speed and he didn’t disappoint. Whyte averaged 5.2 yards per carry on 24 carries over six games. Whyte is another player who should figure heavily in the team’s 2020 plans.
7-CB Justin Layne
Layne’s impact was primarily as a special teams player. However, as the team’s third-round pick, his lack of reps was more to do with the emergence of four guys ahead of him. But the fact he was able to keep former first-round pick Artie Burns on the bench tells you the confidence the staff has in Layne.
8-TE Zach Gentry
We expected nothing from Gentry and he pretty much delivered on it. He was inactive for much of the season and when he did get a helmet on gameday he hauled in one catch for four yards.
9-LB Tuzar Skipper
If we were just ranking the preseason, Skipper would be higher. But after being released, the Steelers brought Skipper back for the last six games. And they signed him to a two-year contract at the end of the season, showing they think he has promise.
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