Unheralded Steelers sleeper promises to make Pittsburgh ‘right’ after signing him

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Max Hurleman is vowing to make general manager Omar Khan and head coach Mike Tomlin right in their decision to sign him.

Before throwing out the first pitch at the Reading Fightin Phils’ game on Thursday, Hurleman lauded the Steelers for signing him, and to make sure they would not regret it.

“Thankful to a really good organization like the Pittsburgh Steelers,” Hurleman said via the Reading Eagle. “I can’t thank them enough. Coach (Mike) Tomlin, Mr. Rooney, Mr. Khan, for just affording me this opportunity, and I’m going to make them right in their decision.”

In college, Hurleman played a little bit of everywhere. Hurleman spent his first four seasons at Colgate before transferring up to Notre Dame, where he became a cornerback and return man for the Fighting Irish. With Colgate, he was a running back.

Now? The Steelers have him flipping between slot wide receiver and running back. Though, Hurleman admitted the Steelers are starting to see him more as a wide receiver.

“I just like to play wherever they tell me to go. I like to say my position’s just football player. So, I have a lot of fun doing it all,” Hurleman said.

A former central Pennsylvania star at Wyomissing, Hurleman is a great athlete who walked on at Notre Dame for his final season. By the end of it, he was running with the second string.

At his pro day, Hurleman received a variety of feedback from scouts about his position. Some wanted him to play offense, while others liked him at cornerback. 

Hurleman is working as a return man for the Steelers in addition to his do-it-all gimmick on offense. Unsurprisingly, he looks up to Julian Edelman, who transitioned from quarterback to wide receiver. Some other star running backs who are elite receivers also fit the bill for players he models himself after.