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Mike McCarthy and the Pittsburgh Steelers drafted safety Robert Spears-Jennings in the seventh round.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Ray Fittipaldo liked what he saw from a couple Pittsburgh Steelers Day 2 rookies during offseason workouts. But according to the team beat writer, Mike McCarthy also had a rookie the team grabbed much later in the draft shine this spring.

During a radio appearance on 93.7 The Fan on Friday, Fittipaldo singled out seventh-round safety Robert Spears-Jennings.

“I thought he had a good spring,” said Fittipaldo. He’s been kind of under the radar.”

Spears-Jennings was the first of two picks the Steelers made in the seventh round of the 2026 NFL Draft. Pittsburgh selected the safety at No. 224 overall.

The safety played four seasons at Oklahoma. In 2025, he had 59 combined tackles, including 1.5 for loss.

Steelers Rookie Robert-Spears Jennings Shines for Mike McCarthy at OTAs

It’s the time of year that pundits lay a lot of expectations on the incoming rookie class. On Thursday, Fittipaldo hyped Steelers second-round wide receiver Germie Bernard and third-round defensive back Daylen Everette.

But Spears-Jennings hasn’t gotten much attention the last few weeks. So to hear a positive report on the seventh-round rookie is certainly good news for the Steelers.

Prior to the draft, NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein projected the safety as a fifth-round pick. With that in mind, Spears-Jennings was already offering decent value to the Steelers as a seventh-round choice.

Behind his strong start, he could have real sleeper potential for the regular season.

“Spears-Jennings is a two-year starter with NFL traits. He has the size and toughness of a pro safety,” wrote Zierlein. “He’s quick to dive in and fill the run near the line. He’s a sound tackler once he’s lined up but inconsistent tracking angles and a lack of body control cause him to mistime his target.

“He has plus coverage tools but lacks feel in man coverage and suffers from a lack of awareness playing from depth. The traits and special-teams talent should buy him time to prove himself a competent backup playing near the line.”

On June 12, Steelers Depot’s Joe Clark emphasized Zierlein’s last point. To make Pittsburgh’s roster, Spears-Jennings is going to have to carve out a role on special teams.

“It’s an area where [Sebastian] Castro has had some success, but Spears-Jennings has all the traits to be a core special teamer,” wrote Clark. “It’s a positive sign that he’s stood out early, as it puts him in a good position entering training camp.”

Steelers Safety Depth Entering 2026 NFL Training Camp

It appears Spears-Jennings is off to a strong start in Pittsburgh. But the rookie could still face an uphill battle to a roster spot.

Pundits expect DeShon Elliott, Jalen Ramsey and Jaquan Brisker to be the top three safeties for the Steelers this fall. Ramsey should play a lot of different positions in Pittsburgh’s secondary, but in Pittsburgh’s base defense, he could line up at safety.

The Steelers also added veteran safety Darnell Savage this spring as extra depth.

That doesn’t leave a lot of roster space for the intriguing youngsters the team has at safety. In addition to Spears-Jennings, the Steelers have 2025 undrafted free agents Sebastian Castro and Jack Henderson on the offseason roster.

Spears-Jennings might have to beat out both Castro and Henderson to make Pittsburgh’s roster.

That competition should really heat up when the Steelers open training camp in late July.