When the Pittsburgh Steelers revealed their 53-man roster at the end of August, there weren’t many surprises.
There was one that stood out and raised a lot of eyebrows, though. Keeping undrafted rookie free agent defensive lineman Kevin Jobity Jr. qualified as a real shock, considering he didn’t do much throughout training camp and the preseason. But in the Steelers’ preseason finale against the Buffalo Bills, Jobity opened eyes and earned a roster spot.
“Jobity’s a guy who has a lot of upside, right? He showed up in that last game, and that just proves to you that game that roster spots can be earned in the final preseason game,” former Steelers defensive lineman Chris Hoke said Thursday on 93.7 The Fan. “When I watched him, he stood out to me several times in the final preseason game. I thought that his explosiveness…his ability to rush the passer, and he had a lot of twitch.
“And I thought, ‘Man, this guy stands out.’ So, it doesn’t surprise. It doesn’t surprise me they kept him.”
There was some intrigue with Jobity coming out of Syracuse, especially after he had three sacks against the University of Pittsburgh last season, which undoubtedly put him on the Steelers’ radar. He flashed real athleticism in college and tested well, too, before signing with the Steelers
But as a UDFA, and behind another draft pick at the same position, it felt like a long, seemingly impossible road ahead. All Jobity did was keep his head down and work, and when his opportunity came in Buffalo, he stood out in a major way.
Jobity recorded two pressures and two sacks in the preseason, and added three run stops, finishing with a grade of 64.2 overall from Pro Football Focus. He played 53 snaps overall, and showed enough for the Steelers to feel like they needed to keep him.
He’s likely going to be inactive much of the season, but there’s a piece there worth developing, and Hoke likes what he sees. As a guy who was once the surprise seventh defensive lineman kept, there’s a shared bond there with Hoke and Jobity. Hopefully Jobity can develop like Hoke did and become a serviceable rotational player on a contender in the Steel City.