Seventh-round picks are almost never a lock to make NFL 53-man rosters, especially not in a crowded draft class of 10 rookies. But that’s exactly what S Robert Spears-Jennings is on track to do. He impressed throughout the spring, setting himself up for an unlikely roster push in late August.

“Often when there’s a seventh-round pick, you’re just saying, ‘Okay, this guy ran the fastest 40 of any safety in the draft. He’s big, he’s long, let’s take a look.’ I think it’s more than that with Robert Spears-Jennings,” The Athletic’s Mike DeFabo said on his Yinziders podcast. “He looked good during OTAs. I think the coaching staff liked what they saw from him in a number of different way. I think that he’s playing his way onto this team, at least the 53-man roster.

“He has all the things to be an outstanding special teams guy, and then maybe they can continue to develop him more.”

Depth safeties need to be a factor on special teams. Spears-Jennings’ ability on those units is even more critical than his potential on defense right now. He was a three-unit special teams player at Oklahoma last season and has 505 snaps of experience across all five units in college.

Beyond his special teams abilities, Spears-Jennings can add a dimension of speed to the back half of the Steelers’ defense. Other than Jamel Dean’s blazing-fast 4.3-second 40 seven years ago, Pittsburgh’s secondary lacks top-end speed. Spears-Jennings can eventually help fix that.

Had he come out for the draft in 2025, he could have cracked the top 150 picks coming off a season with 66 tackles, five TFL, 2.5 sacks, four forced fumbles and an INT. His production dipped in 2025, but running one of the Combine’s fastest 40 times solidified him as a draftable player.

Last year, the Steelers kept just eight defensive backs on their initial 53-man roster. Spears-Jennings’ roster chances will likely depend on how many they keep this year. Don’t be surprised if that number jumps up to 10.

Spears-Jennings will compete against Darnell Savage and Sebastian Castro throughout training camp for the final spot or two at the bottom of the safety depth chart. Though Savage has a leg up on defense as a veteran, he has no history playing special teams. The younger players may have the inside track as core special teamers.

Training camp will serve as a proving ground for Spears-Jennings once the pads come on, but the early returns are good for Pittsburgh’s seventh-round rookie.