- Rookie lessons: For every rookie, their first season in the NFL is a learning experience. They come in accustomed to being a starter in college, and their roles can change. They have to earn everything, prove themselves, just like being a freshman in college all over again.
Tyler Matakevich was no different. Matakevich was the all-time leading tackler at Temple University, was an All-America selection and winner of the Chuck Bednarik Award and Bronko Nargurski Trophy, given to the nation's most outstanding defensive player. But when he came to the Steelers as a seventh-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, he had to earn his spot by making a name for himself on special teams. And he did just that.
"I think I have grown from I used to always be involved, in the moment," said Matakevich. "Now I have found my role on special teams, adjusted to being on the back end of things, listening to the guys around me. These guys have been in the National Football League, they are so knowledgeable, so smart. Just having the opportunity to talk and learn from the veterans, guys like Ryan Shazier, Ryan Shazier, Mike Mitchell, William Gay, and William Gay, it's unbelievable."
- **
Check out the best photos from the 2016 season.
Tyler Matakevich and B.J. Finney
Antonio Brown
James Harrison
Darrius Heyward-Bey
Ben Roethlisberger
Artie Burns
Antonio Brown
Ben Roethlisberger
Alejandro Villaneuva
Le'Veon Bell
Artie Burns
Artie Burns
Daryl Richardson
DeAngelo Williams
Ben Roethlisberger
Head Coach Mike Tomlin
Alejandro Villanueva
James Harrison
Le'Veon Bell
James Harrison
Sean Davis
Le'Veon Bell
Ryan Shazier
Sean Davis, Ryan Shazier, and Mike Mitchell
Stephon Tuitt
Le'Veon Bell, Antonio Brown, and Ben Roethlisberger
Le'Veon Bell
Tyler Matakevich, Darrius Heyward-Bey, Steven Johnson, and Jordan Dangerfield
Ben Roethlisberger
Jordan Dangerfield
Le'Veon Bell
David DeCastro
Le'Veon Bell
Tyler Matakevich
Stephon Tuitt
James Harrison
Maurkice Pouncey, Le'Veon Bell, and Ramon Foster
Darrius Heyward-Bey
Le'Veon Bell
Jordan Dangerfield
Sean Davis
Ramon Foster, Ben Roethlisberger, Maurkice Pouncey, and Alejandro Villanueva
Le'Veon Bell
Artie Burns
Antonio Brown
Mike Mitchell and Artie Burns
Antonio Brown
Lawrence Timmons
Shamarko Thomas, Anthony Chickillo, and Jordan Dangerfield
Antonio Brown and DeAngelo Williams
Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown
Jordan Dangerfield
Bud Dupree and Ryan Shazier
Ross Cockrell
Daniel McCullers
Cobi Hamilton
Vince Williams and Jarvis Jones
Antonio Brown
Stephon Tuitt and Art Rooney
Alejandro Villanueva, Ramon Foster, Maurkice Pouncey, David DeCastro, and Marcus Gilbert
Antonio Brown
Le'Veon Bell and Antonio Brown
Darrius Heyward-Bey
Antonio Brown
Marcus Gilbert
Lawrence Timmons
Ben Roethlisberger and James Harrison
William Gay
Ben Roethlisberger
Sean Davis
Dishing out advice:** Those veterans that Matakevich learned from, also offered him plenty of advice last year, including helping him to believe in himself.
"Some of the stuff they have told me is you have to trust yourself," said Matakevich. "You are here for a reason. You aren't just here by magic. Your work ethic, everything you have done to this point, keep doing it.
"Just remember you are playing football. You have to be a professional. But, when you think about the game of football, at the end of the day you are playing football. I am playing the same game now that I was playing when I started out at eight-years old."
- Hello, goodbye: Another thing Matakevich learned his rookie year was to expect the unexpected. In college, he was accustomed to the roster remaining the same during a season. But in the NFL, the one constant is change.
"The big thing is on any given day you see new faces here," said Matakevich. "To me that was the biggest thing. You have to come here and work every single day. Anything can happen at any minute."
