Steelers Invite Small School Center to Rookie Minicamp

The Pittsburgh Steelers have invited Jacksonville State center Treylen Brown to the team’s rookie minicamp, according to a report by Aaron Wilson of KRPC-TV in Houston.

Brown, a Spartanburg, S.C. native, is a 6-foot-3, 210-pound offensive lineman that was a two-time all-conference player for the Gamecocks.

Brown played four positions along the line for Jacksonville state. He started out at guard  in 2019 and also played some left tackle in 2020. In 2021, he became a regular, playing mostly right guard but also left guard and center.

In 2022, he became a full-time center, making 10 starts and being named to the All-Atlantic Sun team at center. When Jacksonville State moved up from the ASUN to Conference USA in 2023, he was again named all-league after starting every game. All told, Brown played over 2,250 snaps of offense for Jacksonville state over five seasons.

In pre-draft testing, Brown showed strong long speed for a lineman, but poor agility. He ran the 40-yard dash in 5.03 second, but had a 4.9-second shuttle and an 8.03-second three-cone drill. He also only posted 24 bench press reps and has a 5.54 Relative Athletic Score out of 10.

Though Brown played all over the offensive line in college, his 6-foot 7/8 height and 32-inch arms will likely limit him to playing center in the NFL

Players that are 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 the Friday and Saturday that are 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 Alonzo Graham from Morgan State and outside linebacker Toby Ndukwe from Sam Houston State out of their rookie minicamp tryout class.

Jacksonville State is located in Jacksonville, Alabama, about halfway between Birmingham and Atlanta. The school has had 20 NFL alumni, most notably All-Pro defensive back Eric Davis, who played for the San Francisco 49ers, Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos and Detroit Lions from 1990-2002. Buffalo Bills cornerback Siran Neal was the only Jacksonville State alum active in the NFL in 2023. No Jacksonville State player has ever played for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Steelers already added one center this offseason, drafting West Virginia’s Zach Frazier in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft.