Steelers Invite Kent State DB Bryce Sheppert to Rookie Minicamp

According to the school, the Pittsburgh Steelers are inviting Kent State defensive back Bryce Sheppert to their rookie minicamp. Sheppert will try out with a number of defensive backs in attendance, including veterans such as Anthony Averett and bloodline connections such as Shon Stephens, Joey Porter Jr.’s cousin.

Sheppert tested at Kent State’s pro day and measured in at 5-foot-9, 182 pounds. That would be slot cornerback size, but Sheppert has played a lot at safety, too. He ran a 4.5 40-yard dash and jumped out of the gym with a 40.5-inch vertical, so he is certainly fast enough and has explosiveness. All in all, he is undersized, which dropped his Relative Athletic Score (RAS), causing him to finish with just a 6.80 RAS out of 10.

Bryce Sheppert is a FS prospect in the 2024 draft class. He scored a 6.80 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 350 out of 1092 FS from 1987 to 2024. https://t.co/pwLzLmzf2O pic.twitter.com/n21C1pLiPD

— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) April 24, 2024

Sheppert will hope to crack the Steelers 90-man roster. Pittsburgh has four spots open on their 90-man roster, but that does not mean that they can not push out another fringe roster player, so Sheppert has a chance to make some buzz and push into Pittsburgh’s training camp.

Players invited to rookie minicamp will come to Pittsburgh on a tryout basis for two or three practices. The Steelers usually have a two-practice session on Friday and Saturday two weeks after the first round of the NFL Draft, which this year falls on May 10-11.

In addition to tryouts, first-year players and drafted and undrafted rookies can participate. Last year, the Steelers signed running back Alfonzo Graham from Morgan State and outside linebacker Toby Ndukwe from Sam Houston State out of their rookie minicamp tryout class.

The most notable player in recent memory to be signed out of the rookie minicamp was Devlin ‘Duck’ Hodges, who ended up starting games for the Steelers in 2019 and impressing enough in training camp to stay on the practice squad for the entire season.