Updated 3rd Annual Steel Curtain Network Brett Keisel Award

Welcome back Steelers fans for an update to the Brett Keisel Award! Camp is just about wrapped up and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in town for a weekend clash in the Steel City.

I gave you some names to ponder for the 3rd Annual Brett Keisel Award, and I’m back to give you some others to think about as well. There were plenty of comments in the initial article of some other players that you, the fan, have thrown out as possible candidates as well, and I am here to deliver the hype!

Lets go over the initial list, and then add some new names to the list of candidates, and their stat lines from Saturday’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Remember that YOU, the fan, hold all the control over who goes on this list and you will also determine the winner. Let me hear about it in the comment section below!

The Initial List

Donte Kent, CB/PR – Central Michigan, 7th Round (Jersey: #34)

Believe it or not, Kent actually has Pennsylvania football ties even though he went to college at Central Michigan. A product of Harrisburg HS in Harrisburg, PA, Kent comes to the team as the Steelers last selection in the 2025 Draft. In his collegiate career, Kent appeared in 53 total games, recording 234 tackles, 6 TFL’s, 46 Pass Defenses, 2 INT’s, 2 Forced Fumbles, and one FR. These stats helped him earn 1st Team All MAC in 2022, and 2nd Team All MAC twice, in 2023 and 2024.

His path to the team is most likely on Special Teams, and it is where his blazing speed will really shine. He ran a 4.38s 40yd dash at the Combine and has Punt Returner ability, having returned a punt for a TD his senior season in college. With the Steelers having signed Jalen Ramsey after the Draft, and also having returnees like Cory Trice and last year’s Brett Keisel award winner Beanie Bishop in front of him, Kent’s path to a position at CB will most likely take the form of Dime package snaps in clean up duty during the Preseason.

Kent will wear jersey number 34, made noteable by past Steelers players Andy Russell, Tim Lester, DeAngelo Williams, Rashard Mendenhall, and Verron Haynes. He shares the number with Rex Hurleman (below).

Stat Line: Kent was kept out of the lineup due to injury (hamstring), and is day to day.

Sebastian Castro, S – Iowa, UDFA (Jersey: #29)

The Steelers first pick off of the UDFA list, Castro comes from a perennially strong Iowa Hawkeyes defense. After redshirting his freshman season in 2019, and gaining a season of eligibility in 2020, Castro slowly built a solid stat sheet over the next 4 years. In 2023, he earned 2nd Team All Big Ten Conference honors, and backed that up in 2024 with a 3rd Team All Big Ten selection. In all, he amassed 113 tackles, 14 TFL’s, 14 Pass Defenses, 4 INT’s, 2 Sacks, and 5 Forced Fumbles.

Castro’s immediate path to the team lies in his ability to provide depth to the Safety room that has just seen some turnover, with Minkah Fitzpatrick leaving for MIA and Deshawn Elliot taking over the top dog position. There is room for Castro to make a move, even though recently acquired Juan Thornhill may seem to have a leg up on the other Safety position at the moment.

Castro will wear jersey number 29, made noteable by past Steelers players such as Barry Foster, Ron Johnson, Ryan Mundy, and most recently, Levi Wallace.

Castro looked like a willing tackler and played without major incident in his first snaps, logging 4 Total Tackles and covering well playing against the 3rd String Jags.

Stat Line: 4 Total Tackles, 3 Solo

JJ Galbreath, TE – South Dakota, UDFA (Jersey: #87)

Production. That’s what you see when you look at Galbreath’s collegiate career. Grabbed the starting TE role as a Sophomore and never looked back, amassing 93 Catches for 1,355 Yds and 12 TD’s while also grabbing FCS First Team AP All American, FCS First Team All Conference, and Third Team Phil Steele FCS All American status. He was a major focal point of the Jackrabbit offense as the “Move” Tight End, and will likely try to fill a depth spot as such on the team.

HOWEVER…

… do you think Arthur Smith likes Tight Ends? This offseason alone, General Manager Omar Khan has facilitated the move for at least 4 different Tight Ends while also having three already on the roster (Galbreath, Jonnu Smith, DJ Thomas Jones (FB/TE), and D Parham Jr (season ending injury) to go with Muth, Washington, and Heyward. With Freiermuth, Smith, and Washington all seemingly ahead of him, in addition to Connor Heyward offering positional flexibility, it would seem Galbreath has a major hill to climb, even with proven production at a lower level of competition. Can he show enough production during the preseason to garner more looks?

Galbreath will wear jersey number 87, made noteable by past Steelers players Larry Brown, Mark Bruener, Kevin Rader, and Rodney Williams.

It wasn’t flashy, it wasn’t effective, but hey, he didn’t drop the ball and he got 6 yards. He did what they asked of him. Not much more I could ask of him then, either.

Stat Line: 1 Target, 1 Catch, 6 Yds

Logan Lee, DE – Iowa, Rnd 6, Pick 178OVR 2024 Draft (Jersey: #91)

There was lots of talk last year about a player who seemed to fit the path of Brett Keisel to a “T”, right down to the measureables. Logan Lee came in from Iowa described as an undersized Defensive End with a hot motor. Lee did not get much playing time in the 2024 Preseason, logging only a handful of snaps and recording just one assisted tackle before ending up on Injured Reserve in September of ’24.

He comes in after having essentially a “redshirt” year, where he was on the Injured Reserve for the year due to a calf injury, but plenty of time to watch film and rehab the leg, getting “NFL strong” to try and fill in the lean frame he brought into the League. His position allows for more possibility to get on the field, especially in the Preseason, but will be hampered just a little bit by the addition of Derrick Harmon to the Defensive Line room. Lee will look to add valuable depth to a position of low-key need, with other depth players not having taken firm grasp of the backup positions over the last couple of years. He has the most “Brett Keisel” of paths to the team, and is why he is included in this year’s list.

Lee will wear jersey number 91, made noteable by such players as Kevin Greene, Aaron Smith, and Stephon Tuitt. Big shoes to fill with that number!

Stat Line: Lee logged some snaps Saturday night, but did not record a tackle.

Not much action from the guys I listed above, but it did present some opportunities for other guys to step up, and that’s what this whole award exemplifies, maximizing the opportunity when it comes. So let’s talk about some other players!

New Candidates

Rokafewlloa Onasis Taylor, WR – Memphis, UDFA (Jersey: #89)

Yes, that is his full name. Rokafewlloa ‘Roc’ Taylor came to the Steelers as a 2025 UDFA from the University of Memphis. Was originally slated to play for Jeremy Pruitt and the Tennessee Volunteers, he left after Josh Heupel became Head Coach and went to Memphis. At Memphis, he obtained Second Team All-AAC Honors in 2023 when he racked up 69 Rec, 1083 Yds, and 4 TD’s, and bested that by earning First Team All-ACC Honors in 2024, catching 66 Passes for 960 Yds and 2 TD’s. Notice he earned First Team Conference Honors in 2024 even though his production dipped over his 2023 numbers. His best games came against bigger competition, such as in 2023 against a very strong Missouri defense where he caught 7 passes for 143 yards, or against Boise State, amassing 5 catches for 102 Yds and a TD.

in his limited action vs the Jaguars, Taylor had 2 Catches for 38 Yards but more importantly, each of those catches were for first downs. He looked smooth in his routes and cuts, and definitely put himself on the radar Saturday night.

Taylor wears #89, made famous by former Steelers Bennie Cunningham, Ernie Mills, Lee Mays, Matt Spaeth, the “Vanimal” Vance McDonald, and even The Legend himself Ernie Stautner, who wore the number early in the 1951 season before changing to his now retired #70.

Stat Line: 3 Targets, 2 Catches, 38 Yards

Max Hurleman, RB – Notre Dame, UDFA (Jersey: #34)

You may not have heard of him before, but I’m pretty sure you may have heard of him by now. Hurleman is a western PA kid from Wyomissing who made his way to Colgate University in upstate New York for four years before graduating and then going to South Bend to play for the Irish. At Colgate, he was the definition of an “All-Purpose” back, taking snaps at Running Back, Wide Receiver, Gunner, Kick Returner, and Punt Returner. Hurleman started 21 games for Colgate before transferring to Notre Dame, where he primarily played special teams.

Hurleman had himself the biggest night of anyone outside of the presumed 53 man roster on Saturday night. He and Steelers QB Skylar Thompson found quick rapport, as Thompson hit Hurleman with a 26 yard dart over the middle of the field. Hurleman took a huge hit on the play from two defenders, but held onto the ball. In the red zone, Thompson found Hurleman again when Max slipped off the line on a rub play and got enough separation to nab the pass for a Steelers touchdown. Oh, and that backflip? Well, lets hope he finds another celebration dance that won’t possibly require surgery in the future.

Hurleman wears #34, along with other former Steelers Andy Russell, Tim Lester, Verron Haynes, Rashard Mendenhall, DeAngelo Williams, and Terrell Edmunds.

Stat Line: 4 Targets, 2 Catches, 29 Yards, 1 Touchdown

Ke’Shawn Williams, WR – Indiana, UDFA (Jersey: #85)

Originally born in Philly, Williams went to Wake Forest, playing there for 4 years and appearing in 46 games before transferring to Indiana and taking advantage of Kurt Cignetti’s offense to build some respectable stats. He amassed 2,640 all-purpose yards in his entire collegiate career playing snaps at Wide Receiver, Running Back and Kick/Punt Returner, and signed in April during Minicamp along with Hurleman.

Saturday night was also a big night for Williams, who had the game winning 29 yard touchdown from Skylar Thompson to go with one other catch, totaling 55 yards on the night. The Steelers are looking for someone to step up and not only take the WR2 position, but also the WR3 and WR4 position. Robert Woods was not particularly effective or inspiring, and although Roman Wilson showed flashes, the Camp fight for those Wide Receiver positions are wide open. Williams certainly didn’t hurt his case to be the one to get a hat for game days.

Williams wears #85, made famous by other Steelers Jay Reimersma, Nate Washington, Darrius Hayward-Bey, and Eric Ebron.

Stat Line: 2 Targets, 2 Catches, 55 Yards, 1 Touchdahn

With another game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers upcoming, there will be plenty of other stats and moments to update you on before the voting starts after the Carolina Panthers game in Week 3 of the Preseason. Who do YOU like so far? Is there anyone else I should add to the list? Let me know in the comments below!

Be sure to check out all of the great content at the Steel Curtain Network and check me out over on X @Steely_McBeam.