Steelers Daily Links: Ryan Clark Encourages Undrafted Players; Jones Tours Pittsburgh

🏈 Former Pittsburgh Steelers free safety Ryan Clark gave words of encouragement for players who did not hear their name called during the 2023 NFL Draft.

“Going undrafted hurts. Hard to accept that no one believed in you, but sooner you do the better. It’s important 1 person believes, & that’s you. Hug those who support you, pick your head up, & get to the grind. It’s time to go make a team- All luv, An undrafted free agent.”

Clark went undrafted out of LSU and signed with the New York Giants, where he played for two seasons. He then spent two more with the Washington Redskins before finding a home with the Steelers. Clark played eight seasons in Pittsburgh, making the Pro Bowl in 2011 while playing alongside Hall of Fame Steelers safety Troy Polamalu.

🏈 Steelers first-round pick Broderick Jones toured the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquariumon on Saturday. Jones is a big snake guy, so it was a fitting trip. Jones has two pet snakes named Pablo and Piper at home.

Big snake guy 🐍 pic.twitter.com/HufOSBqxFS

— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) April 29, 2023

🏈 Steelers’ third-round pick Darnell Washington spoke with Jordan Elliot of SB Nation about his journey from foster care and sleeping in a U-Haul to the 2023 NFL Draft.

“What I experienced and what I went through helped me just to be the player that I am today,” Washington told Elliot. “I just look at it like, whatever I face that may be difficult today, whether it’s football or life in general, I just look at it like I don’t want to go back to that. So if it’s me having to study, I’m going to study so I don’t have to go back to what I went through as a kid. Even in games, like when it is a close nail-biting game like when we played Missouri, I just tell myself I’ve been through way more difficult times than this. Like when I missed tons of meals, or can’t eat on the weekends because we didn’t have food, or being in the house without power, or only having cold water. So whenever I face hard times I just think back about where I came from and what I faced, and that just motivates me even more to handle whatever my current assignment might be.”

🏈 While Kenny Picket made headlines for chugging a beer with Luke Combs on stage at Acrisure Stadium on Saturday night. His predecessor Ben Roethlisberger was also at the concert. Roethlisberger is a big country music fan and Combs is one of his favorite artists.

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A post shared by Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger (@footbahlinwithben)

🏈 Steelers: Joey Porter Jr. and Joey Porter Sr. are the first father-son duo to each get selected by the Steelers in the NFL common draft era since 1967.

🏈 Joey Porter Jr. and Cory Trice Jr. check the boxes when it comes to size, athleticism and physicality. Draft analyst Brett Kollmann actually had them rated close in his cornerback rankings. “Joey Porter Jr. was CB4 for me in this class. Cory Trice Jr. was CB5. This is *not* the way that I expected them to become teammates lmao,” Kollmann tweeted.

🏈 Dane Brugler of The Athletic had a third-round grade on Cory Trice Jr. However, there were some medical questions that may have pushed the cornerback down some boards. Here’s Brugler’s analysis. “Trice might never be a high-level technician, but he has exceptional size, speed and change-of-direction skills to be a disruptive cover man both early and late in the rep. He offers position versatility w/ starting potential in press-man or Cover 3 schemes.”

🏈 NFL Network analyst Brian Baldinger thinks Steelers’ fourth-round pick Nick Herbig has a bright future in Pittsburgh. “Nick Herbig will be a Steeler for the next 10 years. Take it to the bank. The Standard is the Standard. You need linebackers go to Madison,” Baldinger tweeted.

🏈 Kyle Malzhan of WFRV Local 5 shared a video of T.J. Watt giving Nick Herbig pointers at Wisconsin’s pro day last year. Things have come full circle and the two former Wisconsin Badgers are now teammates in Pittsburgh.

A year ago – TJ Watt visited the Wisconsin #Badgers pro day.

I captured this video of Watt working with Nick Herbig off to the side.

Watt and Herbig are now teammates on the Pittsburgh #Steelers. pic.twitter.com/GLJifUYGSX

— Kyle Malzhan (@KyleMalzhan) April 29, 2023

AROUND THE NETWORK

Pittsburgh Sports Now: Carter Warren and Israel Abanikanda both went to the New York Jets in the fourth and fifth rounds as part of five Pitt players drafted on day three. LB SirVocea Dennis went to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the fifth round, FS Erick Hallett II was taken by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the sixth round and SS Brandon Hill went to the Houston Texans in the seventh round.

West Virginia Sports Now: WVU WR Bryce Ford-Wheaton, considered by some an early day three pick, went undrafted and ended up signing with the New York Giants.

Nittany Sports Now: Former Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford was one of the surprise picks of the third day of the draft, going in the fifth round to the Green Bay Packers.

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Winger Alex Nylander has re-signed with the Penguins on a one-year deal.

Pittsburgh Baseball Now: The Pirates swept a doubleheader agains the Washington Nationals, winning 16-1 in the nightcap while Drew Maggi went 2 for 2 with a double and an RBI, career firsts all the way around for the 33-year-old journeyman.

Pittsburgh Soccer Now: Returning to USL play after a midweek U.S. Open Cup win, the Riverhounds played to a 1-1 draw against the Indy Eleven.