The Steelers wrapped up day 1 of mandatory mini-camp today. The men who missed all or most of voluntary OTA’s were in attendance today as expected. S Troy Polamalu, CB Ike Taylor, and LB Jordan Zumwalt were all present and accounted for. There was one rookie however who wasn’t present- Martavis Bryant.
Martavis Bryant, the Steelers 4th round selection, was reportedly home sick today after coming down with a virus yesterday. Markus Wheaton missed some of the final OTA practices, but participated fully today. Dri Archer, however, was sidelined about halfway through today’s practice with a bag of ice on his knee.
Hopefully Bryant’s illness doesn’t sideline him for the entire mini-camp. Rookies need every minute they can get, and as Coach Haley said earlier today, “he’s got a long way to go”.
“[Bryant’s] another rookie, so we’re not anointing him. He’s got a long way to go, because at the receiver position, there are a lot of subtle things that go on, but he’s big and fast and what sets him apart and should give him a chance to succeed is that he gets to top speed fast for a guy that big,” Haley said in an interview earlier today.
Mini-camp continues tomorrow and concludes on Thursday. The team then breaks until training camp begins July 25th.