by Bo Marchionte
@bomarchionte | College2Pro.com
Published October 11, 2026, 5:49 PM

Steelers Rookie Class Is Growing Up Fast, and Pittsburgh Is Finding Out Who Belongs

PITTSBURGH, PA – Winning can be a beautiful liar. It hides the ugly, makes ordinary performances look exceptional and occasionally convinces football teams they’re better than they really are.

The Pittsburgh Steelers’ 34-22 victory over the Indianapolis Colts offered plenty of reasons to celebrate. More importantly, it offered something that might actually matter in December and beyond.

Evidence that their rookie class can play football.

Not all of them. Not equally. And certainly not enough to start fitting anybody for a gold jacket in Canton.

But enough to make you look twice.

“This was clearly our best week,” Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy said afterward.

McCarthy remains undefeated at home, with Pittsburgh improving to 3-2 before heading south to face the 1-4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 6.

“It’s a good start. I think anytime you win a game, it comes off of a, you know, healthy week of preparation,” McCarthy said.

And nobody was collecting a bigger paycheck on Sunday than Jaylen Warren.

The Steelers running back produced 188 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns, becoming the first player since Herschel Walker in 1986 to score on a run of at least 50 yards and a reception of at least 80 yards in the same game.

That’s not a good afternoon. That’s grand theft against a professional defense.

With Rico Dowdle sidelined, Warren has turned Pittsburgh’s backfield into his personal workshop. The more McCarthy hands him the tools, the more convincing the argument becomes that Warren deserves to remain the primary contractor.

“Whenever my name’s called, I gotta, you know, seize the moment,” Warren said, displaying the same quiet demeanor that makes his violence between the lines such an entertaining contradiction.

But Warren wasn’t the story I went looking for.

I wanted to know what McCarthy thought about the young players being thrown into meaningful roles, and what their performances might mean for the franchise beyond one rainy afternoon in Pittsburgh.

Unfortunately, my question to McCarthy arrived at the same time as Cameron Heyward. McCarthy used his arrival as an exit strategy leaving my question on the rookie contributors floating into the air, as he walked away and Heyward approached the microphones and cameras.

Pittsburgh’s Rookies Are Getting an Education Without Training Wheels

Pittsburgh started three rookies against Indianapolis.

Max Iheanachor, the team’s first-round pick out of Arizona State, lined up at right tackle. Germie Bernard, its second-round receiver from Alabama, started outside. Third-round defensive back Daylen Everette was part of the opening defensive unit.

That’s a significant amount of responsibility for players who were still attending college classes a year ago.

And there’s an important distinction between being forced into action because somebody got hurt and being trusted to perform a job that can influence the outcome of a football game.

Iheanachor is especially interesting.

Offensive tackles rarely receive applause unless they’re eligible receivers catching touchdowns. Their best work is often invisible, and their worst work can make a quarterback contemplate early retirement.

For a rookie right tackle, the education is relentless. Defensive coordinators don’t care about draft pedigree. They care about finding weaknesses, exposing poor technique and making young linemen question their footwork.

One start doesn’t establish Iheanachor as Pittsburgh’s long-term answer. But every meaningful snap provides another piece of evidence about whether the Steelers invested their first-round pick wisely.

Bernard’s afternoon was easier to appreciate.

With Michael Pittman Jr. unavailable and Roman Wilson leaving with a finger injury, the rookie became an increasingly important piece of the passing game.

Nine targets. Eighty receiving yards. A season high.

The nine targets led Pittsburgh.

There’s a difference between collecting receptions in garbage time and becoming a quarterback’s option when the receiving corps begins resembling an emergency-room waiting area.

One particular throw on third down, Rodgers found the rookie who fought to secure the contested catch for a Pittsburgh first down.

Bernard wasn’t simply decorating the formation. Aaron Rodgers was looking for him.

That’s valuable currency for a young receiver.

The next question is whether Bernard can maintain that involvement when Pittman and Wilson return. Opportunity opens the door. Consistency keeps your name on the locker.

The Defensive Kids Have Some Teeth

Everette finished with six combined tackles and two passes defended. Fellow rookie defensive back Robert Spears-Jennings added a tackle while contributing to Pittsburgh’s secondary rotation.

Their assignments weren’t ceremonial.

Everette started at cornerback, a position where rookie mistakes can become touchdowns before a defensive coordinator has finished swearing into his headset.

He also had a veteran safety behind him who understood the significance of what was happening.

Jaquan Brisker was complimentary of Everette and Spears-Jennings, particularly their composure in front of the home crowd.

“They didn’t let that, you know, fluster them,” Brisker said. “They just played their game.”

He also praised their ability to step into the lineup without disrupting the defense.

That’s probably the most revealing part of his assessment.

Young defensive backs don’t need to produce highlight-reel interceptions every Sunday. Sometimes the greatest compliment is that nobody notices them screwing anything up.

Still, six tackles and two passes defended don’t automatically make Everette a future Pro Bowler. They do suggest he’s capable of competing in the NFL without the coaching staff having to hide him.

Spears-Jennings presents a different developmental picture. His value comes from versatility, defensive depth and special teams, where he can build a career while expanding his responsibilities.

Then there’s Gabe Rubio, the sixth-round defensive lineman from Notre Dame.

Rubio registered three assisted tackles against Indianapolis. Hardly the sort of statistical explosion that sends television producers scrambling for a feature segment.

But defensive line development isn’t always glamorous. Interior players earn their living with leverage, gap discipline and the willingness to occupy space so somebody else can make the tackle.

Rubio’s opportunity to contribute is encouraging. Whether he can become a dependable rotational defender will require a much larger sample.

Kaden Wetjen continues handling return duties, while rookie fullback Riley Nowakowski has found a situational role in the offense.

Neither needs to become a household name to justify a roster spot.

Special teams and offensive versatility are legitimate NFL jobs. They just don’t sell many jerseys.

The 2026 Draft Class: Investment Versus Return

Pittsburgh selected 10 players in April. Six months later, several are already handling assignments that matter.

Here’s the class and where the investment stands.

• Round 1, No. 21: Max Iheanachor, OT, Arizona State – Starting at right tackle, with the potential to become a foundational piece if his technique and consistency develop.
• Round 2, No. 47: Germie Bernard, WR, Alabama – Nine targets and 80 receiving yards against Indianapolis. His growing involvement deserves attention.
• Round 3, No. 76: Drew Allar, QB, Penn State – The developmental quarterback remains the biggest long-term unknown in the class.
• Round 3, No. 85: Daylen Everette, DB, Georgia – Six combined tackles and two passes defended. Meaningful early exposure at a demanding position.
• Round 3, No. 96: Gennings Dunker, G, Iowa – An offensive line investment whose eventual value will depend on development and opportunity.
• Round 4, No. 121: Kaden Wetjen, WR, Iowa – Return duties provide an immediate path to contributing.
• Round 5, No. 169: Riley Nowakowski, TE, Indiana – Working in a fullback role, offering offensive flexibility.
• Round 6, No. 210: Gabe Rubio, DE, Notre Dame – Three assisted tackles against the Colts. Early rotational experience.
• Round 7, No. 224: Robert Spears-Jennings, DB, Oklahoma – Defensive depth and special teams value with room for expanded responsibilities. Recorded first interception against Cleveland in Week 4.
• Round 7, No. 230: Eli Heidenreich, WR, Navy – A developmental prospect whose NFL role remains unsettled.

Photo Credit Frank Hyatt/College2Pro.com