Steelers Camp Takeaways: Calvin Austin, George Pickens Are Electric, Even Bigger Camp Fights

LATROBE, PA -- The Pittsburgh Steelers are almost through their first week of training camp, and already, there's plenty of headlines to make our way through.

The quarterback battle is still heating up. Right now, it might be closing in on a two-way battle that's much closer than we expected. Plus, rookies making some great plays and more camp fights. It's been a great week in Latrobe.

Diontae Johnson Learning Defenses

Walking onto the field to start team drills, Mike Tomlin and Diontae Johnson were discussing ways for the wide receiver to improve from the sideline. He told him to start recognizing defensive plays. So, Johnson watched almost all of them and made comments to coaches on the sideline.

He's still the last one off the field when everyone is working. Now, he's adding to his football I.Q.

Kendrick Green Remains No. 1 LG

Despite switching with Kevin Dotson on the first day of practice, Green has now become the steady starting left guard. Is this permanent? Possibly, but it's too early to say whether or not Dotson is out of the battle just yet.

Jace Sternberger Over Connor Heyward

In a surprise move, Jace Sternberger ran with the first team with Pat Freiermuth sidelined with a hamstring injury. You would've thought Connor Heyward would be the third tight end, but the rotation went Zach Gentry, Sternberger, Kevin Rader and Heyward.

Heyward brings a lot of value at other positions, but this could be something to watch for the third tight end. Sternberger spent last summer with the Steelers, and maybe this year he's taking a step forward.

Calvin Austin Plays

The offense officially has plays designed for Calvin Austin to get the ball and make things happen. He saw an end around that he turned into a 15-yard gain, and later caught a shuffle pass where he was able to turn the corner.

The speed of Austin is going to be utilized in the Matt Canada offense. It was hard to predict how much coming into camp, but after a few days, it's very exciting to know that skillset it going to be used.

We're three practices in and Austin has been mentioned twice. This kid is electric.

George Pickens is a Star Waiting to Happen

George Pickens is only making the Calvin Austin excitement bigger. The Steelers' other rookie wideout continued to shine, coming up with two big plays throughout the day.

He started the afternoon with a catch over Ahkello Witherspoon, juking out three defenders for a 25-yard gain. Later, he found space behind the linebacker for an 20-yard reception.

It looks like everything is effortless for the second-round pick. He just keeps making big play after big play. The fans love it, his teammates love it, and the excitement around Pickens should be real.

Kenny Pickett Continues to Struggle

It's very clear that the game is moving way too fast for Kenny Pickett, right now. The rookie quarterback nearly threw an interception on his first pass, and struggled pretty much the rest of the afternoon.

Pickett could be removed from this quarterback battle much sooner than later. He needs to have things slow down before he's going to be capable of making consistent plays.

Mason Rudolph Making a Case to Win

On the other hand, Mason Rudolph just keeps impressing. He needs to show more deep balls, but between the three of the quarterbacks, he's been the most consistent.

He went 10/15 throughout the day, and he and Mitchell Trubisky both had a handful of passes more than Pickett. The battle could be getting closer than we thought it would.

O-Line Depth is Terrible

There is very poor offensive line depth on the Steelers' roster. Honestly, it's hard to go any deeper than that. John Leglue, Joe Haeg, Kevin Dotson and J.C. Hassenauer should be able to control a defensive line to some degree, but time and time again, Rudolph and Pickett are throwing with defenders in the backfield.

This might be a lost cause, but the Steelers need to address it before they're stuck hoping no one goes down throughout the season.

Miles Boykin With the Drops

Miles Boykin showed a lot today. For starters, he showed he has the ability to beat a lot of players deep. Twice he got past corners on the sideline and had a stride on the defense.

He also showed he needs to work on finishing, because twice he was a step ahead of defenders and dropped the ball.

It needs to be worked on, but if he can secure the catch, he's got the rest down.

Not One, But Two Fights

The Steelers are now three fights deep in three days - and there wasn't a fight during the first practice.

About halfway through practice, Carlos Davis and Kendrick Green got into a scrum with each other. Nothing serious and rather short.

Then, as the final bell sounded to end practice Carlos Davis, Jake Dixon, Tuzar Skipper and plenty of others got into a rather large, and aggressive skirmish.

It started when Dixon blocked a defender a little after the whistle. Once things started getting hot, Skipper ran in and threw a punch. From there, all hell broke loose.

Najee Harris took a shoulder by someone trying to run into the mix, and George Pickens had to be carried back by coaches after he tried to run in.

Camp fights happen all the time. And every single time, they're entertaining.

Make sure you bookmark All Steelers for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!

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