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5 Takeaways From Steelers Second OTAs

The Pittsburgh Steelers are showing what they can - which is more than what was expected.

Noah Strackbein

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PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers hit the field for a second time this spring, and with football comes takeaways. While spring is more about seeing what's real and what's not, it still gives you plenty to wrap your ahead around as you - and the rest of the football world - prepare for training camp. 

At Day 2 of OTAs, we saw plenty. 

Najee Harris is WOW

There are few words to describe the absolute monster that is Najee Harris. Want to talk about a second-year jump? Well, Harris might have defined it - or redefined it. Either way, it's beyond impressive. 

If the Steelers' top runner can look half as good as he does in shorts and a helmet, it's going to be a Pro Bowl, possibly All-Pro, type of year. 

The Steelers still need a solidified backup. But it's not hard to understand where their confidence in Harris taking a large workload comes from. 

James Daniels Could Change the Offensive Line

The Steelers o-line struggled last season for a few reasons, but one of them that seemed to not be talked about enough was leadership. When Zach Banner is the veteran of the group - and not on the field - it's difficult to expect them to grow together. 

This year, James Daniels is taking that role. Kevin Dotson said he immediately came in and took command of the room, and as a proven starter in this league, that's needed. 

The right guard is as smart as they come, and talented. If the rest of the group can grow off of him, they'll take a step in the right direction this season. 

The QB Pecking Order

For starters (see what I did there), Mitchell Trubisky is the Steelers No. 1 until proven otherwise. What does that tell us? Well, it means that Kenny Pickett isn't coming in with an upper hand - or really any hand at all. 

This isn't about naming the best QB for the Steelers. Right now, it's about the offense adjusting to Trubisky and hoping the former No. 2 overall pick turns into something special. 

Pittsburgh isn't holding a true quarterback battle - they have their starter. 

Mason Rudolph follows, with Pickett and Chris Oladokun behind. This will likely change, but it's more of a backup battle to start then it is a starting QB competition. 

Rudolph won it last offseason. Chance are he won't this year. 

Watch Chase Claypool

We can't give anything away that happens during practice. Rules are rules, and we intend to follow them. But Matt Canada's offense has always been about putting players in the best situation with the ball in their hands. 

Claypool works best on the move. He's not a go up and get it receiver. And it might be time everyone starts to realize that. 

That's all we'll say for now. 

UDFA to Watch

Right now, it's Mataeo Durant out of Duke. He looks smooth and fast. Nothing too flashy, and reps are limited for guys at the end of the depth chart. But leaving the first two days, he seems like someone you'll want to know the name of come training camp. 

He and Jaylen Warren are the UDFA runners to watch. They can switch as favorites at any time. They'll probably both be fun to watch in the preseason. So far, it's Durant. 

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Noah Strackbein
NOAH STRACKBEIN

Noah is the Publisher for All Steelers, Inside the Panthers (InsideThePanthers.com) and Inside the Penguins (InsidethePenguins.com), and is the host of All Steelers Talk (YouTube.com/AllSteelersTalk). A Scranton native, Noah made his way to the Pittsburgh sports scene in 2017. Now, he's pretty much full-yinzer.

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