“Absolutely,” former Washington Huskies linebacker Carson Bruener said when asked if he knew he wanted to end up with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
30 years after they drafted his father, Mark, in the first round, the organization used a seventh-round pick on the younger Bruener in April’s draft.
“It was awesome, being able to see my phone ring and see that 412 Pittsburgh,” Bruener said of the moment. “Before I answered, I flashed the phone to my dad who said, ‘Answer the damn phone, what are you doing?’ So, he immediately had my brother grab the Steelers hat, my mom sees that and starts bawling, my grandma starts bawling. It was a fun time to see that and see how happy they were for me.”
Bruener wrapped up rookie minicamp with the Steelers on Sunday and, thanks to his five years of experience both at linebacker and on special teams, appears to have a good shot to make the 53-man roster this fall.
“I’ve loved it so far, the coaches are great,” Bruener told the media. “I feel like I’m learning a lot, and I feel like I’m able to adapt that on the field during practice. Just with the system and the scheme, it’s something I feel comfortable doing out there, so it’s something I don’t have to think about too much, and even this early, I can just go out there and play.”
Next up for Bruener is OTAs (official team activities), which begin on May 27 and run through June 5, which will give him an opportunity to compete with Cole Holcomb and Malik Harrison for a spot on the two-deep depth chart.