Senquez Golson is not eligible to participate.
When it comes to the subject of the rookie minicamp the Steelers will be staging over the weekend at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, the issue of whether Golson is eligible to take part always is foremost on the tongues of Steelers Nation. Alas, Golson isn't eligible.
There will be approximately 50 eligible players taking part in the three day's worth of meetings and in-shorts sessions on the grass, and the manner in which it's determined who is eligible is only slightly less complicated/secretive than the system used to award compensatory draft picks.
All of the Steelers' 2016 draft choices and the rookie free agents they signed after the draft are eligible to participate; any rookie who went undrafted and remains unsigned can be invited to participate on a tryout basis (there will be 16 of those); and then there are the guys who qualify based on not having earned even one season toward free agency and a pension, based on the rules outlined in the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Some other possible items of interest:
- The quarterbacks will be Nick Arbuckle, a rookie from Georgia State; Dalyn Williams, a rookie from Dartmouth; and Jacob Huesman, a rookie from Tennessee-Chattanooga.
- Some participating players who may be recognizable: WR Shakim Phillips, RB Cameron Stingily, S Jordan Dangerfield, C/G B.J. Finney, and TE Xavier Grimble.
- CB Montell Garner, who most recently played for the Orlando Predators in Arena Football and reportedly signed a futures contract with the Steelers around the time free agency began, will take part this weekend. Prior to joining the Predators, Garner signed with the St. Louis Rams as an undrafted rookie in 2015. He attended training camp with the team and played in all four preseason games. Garner's college career began at Navarro Junior College and then included two seasons at South Alabama, where he had 114 tackles, including 7.5 for loss, with one sack, five interceptions, 14 passes defensed, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery.
- In for the weekend as a tryout is safety Kelvin Fisher Jr., who played college football at UTEP. Kelvin Fisher Sr., currently the Buffalo Bills director of college scouting, worked in the Steelers personnel department from 2000-12.
2016 Rookie Minicamp Participants
| No. | Name | Pos. | Ht | Wt | Exp.* | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2-O | Nick Arbuckle | QB | 6-1 | 215 | R | Georgia State |
| 82 | Demarcus Ayers | WR | 5-11 | 190 | R | Houston |
| 16 | Issac Blakeney | WR | 6-6 | 225 | 1 | Duke |
| 25 | Artie Burns | CB | 6-0 | 197 | R | Miami (Fla.) |
| 30-D | Grant Campbell | LB | 6-1 | 230 | R | Baylor |
| 37 | Jordan Dangerfield | S | 5-11 | 199 | 1 | Towson |
| 28 | Sean Davis | S | 6-1 | 202 | R | Maryland |
| 42-O | Matt Dooley | LS | 6-4 | 242 | 1 | Indiana |
| 6 | Branden Dozier | S | 6-0 | 202 | R | Charlotte |
| 14 | Javien Elliott | CB | 5-11 | 176 | R | Florida State |
| 41-D | Travis Feeney | LB | 6-4 | 226 | R | Washington |
| 71-O | Matt Feiler | OT | 6-6 | 330 | 1 | Bloomsburg |
| 67 | B.J. Finney | C/G | 6-4 | 318 | 1 | Kansas State |
| 5 | Kelvin Fisher, Jr. | S | 5-11 | 200 | R | UTEP |
| 40-D | Montell Garner | CB | 5-11 | 188 | 1 | South Alabama |
| 85 | Xavier Grimble | TE | 6-4 | 261 | 1 | USC |
| 42-D | Jacob Hagen | S | 6-3 | 205 | 1 | Liberty |
| 62-O | Wade Hansen | OT | 6-5 | 295 | R | Virginia Tech |
| 79-D | Javon Hargrave | DT | 6-2 | 305 | R | South Carolina State |
| 65-O | Jerald Hawkins | OT | 6-6 | 305 | R | LSU |
| 65-D | Lavon Hooks | DT | 6-3 | 312 | 1 | Mississippi |
| 8-O | Jacob Huesman | QB | 6-2 | 220 | R | Tennessee-Chattanooga |
| 39-O | Brandon Johnson | RB | 6-2 | 228 | R | Penn State |
| 33 | Cory Magwood | LB | 6-2 | 228 | R | Furman |
| 79-O | Justin Malone | G | 6-7 | 320 | R | Mississippi State |
| 64-O | Cole Manhart | G | 6-4 | 298 | 1 | Nebraska-Kearney |
| 46-D | Tyler Matakevich | LB | 6-1 | 235 | R | Temple |
| 57-O | Michael Matulis | G | 6-5 | 293 | R | South Carolina |
| 62-D | Johnny Maxey | DE | 6-5 | 283 | R | Mars Hill |
| 57-D | Tyriq McCord | LB | 6-3 | 241 | R | Miami (Fla.) |
| 69-O | Brian Mihalik | OT | 6-9 | 302 | 1 | Boston College |
| 2-D | Will Monday | P | 6-4 | 210 | R | Duke |
| 54 | Aaron Morris | G | 6-5 | 313 | R | Mississippi |
| 71-D | Khaynin Mosley-Smith | DE | 6-0 | 305 | R | Pittsburgh |
| 64-D | Giorgio Newberry | DE | 6-6 | 295 | R | Florida State |
| 3 | Cheatham Norrils | CB | 6-0 | 195 | R | Toledo |
| 18 | Levi Norwood | WR | 6-0 | 197 | 1 | Baylor |
| 45 | Jamal Palmer | LB | 6-3 | 250 | R | Baylor |
| 15 | Tobais Palmer | WR | 5-11 | 178 | 1 | North Carolina State |
| 41-O | Gus Penning | TE | 6-6 | 250 | R | Baylor |
| 19 | Shakim Phillips | WR | 6-2 | 204 | 1 | Boston College |
| 69-D | Roy Philon | DT | 6-3 | 291 | 1 | Louisville |
| 49 | Christian Powell | RB | 6-0 | 235 | R | Colorado |
| 46-O | David Reeves | TE | 6-5 | 255 | R | Duke |
| 48 | Jay Rome | TE | 6-6 | 250 | R | Georgia |
| 61-O | Quinton Schooley | C | 6-4 | 298 | R | North Carolina State |
| 83 | Canaan Severin | WR | 6-2 | 205 | R | Virginia |
| 44 | Al-Hajj Shabazz | CB | 6-2 | 200 | 1 | West Chester (PA) |
| 61-D | Devaunte Sigler | DT | 6-3 | 290 | R | Jacksonville State |
| 30-O | Cameron Stingily | RB | 6-1 | 245 | 1 | Northern Illinois |
| 87 | Marcus Tucker | WR | 5-10 | 190 | R | Northern Michigan |
| 39-D | Ray Vinopal | S | 5-10 | 197 | 1 | Pittsburgh |
| 9 | Donald Washington | CB | 6-0 | 197 | 4 | Ohio State |
| 4 | Dalyn Williams | QB | 6-0 | 215 | R | Dartmouth |
** Experience includes 2016 Season
O = White Jersey
D = Gold Jersey
