Pittsburgh Steelers newcomers get first taste of life in black & gold during rookie minicamp

The newest class of Pittsburgh Steelers got their first taste of life in the black and gold.

The team hosted its rookie minicamp on the South Side.

Channel 11’s Shelby Cassesse was there talking to some of this year’s draft class.

There are days when it starts to feel real for many of these rookies, getting back to football after a whirlwind offseason. Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy says he took things intentionally slow, helping both the newcomers and staff get acclimated.

“It’s awesome to play football again. I’ve been waiting to be part of a team since Jan. 1,” said guard Gennings Dunker.

“It’s crazy, first time putting on the jersey, just going out there on the field doesn’t feel real,” said offensive tackle Max Iheanachor. “Being able to start getting the work in and soaking in the moment and just being grateful to be here.”

Max Iheanachor and Gennings Dunker are two newcomers we’ll be watching closely to see where they fit on this Steelers offensive line.

Iheanachor confirmed to us he’s working exclusively at right tackle.

“They definitely look like Pittsburgh Steelers linemen,” McCarthy said. “I think you look for young men that definitely have the anchor to play the style of football we want to play.”

But much of McCarthy’s attention was on the lone quarterback at rookie camp Saturday.

McCarthy said Drew Allar got 35 snaps in team drills, certainly on the higher end.

The former Penn State quarterback got plenty of one-on-one time with his head coach.

“I feel like I’ve really grown a lot and just understand his philosophy a lot more the last two days,” Allar said. “I know what I need to work on and how to work on it. I just got to be intentional with doing the same routine every day and making sure I’m staying on top of the little things.”

The rookies are using this weekend to learn how they fit into the system — and into Pittsburgh.

“Pittsburgh is awesome. It’s so pretty with how green it is, and the water too. It’s awesome,” Dunker said. “...I had to ask around if I can swim in the rivers. You’re not supposed to do that, so I might go fishing.”

Aaron Rodgers’ whereabouts were the elephant in the room after reports he’d be in town this weekend.