Sebastian Castro has an uphill battle to make the Steelers’ 53-man roster, but he has one thing going for him. The Iowa safety plays with reckless abandon on the field, so you don’t have to worry about his effort. It doesn’t hurt that the Steelers drafted some of his college teammates, who saw it up-close and personal.
“He don’t talk much. You can get him to talk. He doesn’t talk much. But you tell him to go get it, he’s gonna go get it,” Steelers DL Yahya Black said of Castro on teammate Christian Kuntz’s podcast. A safety who is a man of few words but many actions is probably music to Steelers fans’ ears, anyway.
An undrafted rookie out of Iowa’s program, Sebastian Castro thought he would hear his name on draft day. Though he missed the opportunity for that life-changing moment, he is “more than happy” the Steelers called. Even still, there is a numbers game on every roster.
Currently, the Steelers have Minkah Fitzpatrick, DeShon Elliott, Juan Thornhill and Miles Killebrew at safety. Were it not for an evidently career-ending injury for Ryan Watts, Castro would have an even harder path.
Sebastian Castro is the only other safety on the roster right now, but the Steelers could keep six cornerbacks. At that spot, they have Joey Porter Jr., Darius Slay, Beanie Bishop Jr., Cory Trice Jr. and Brandin Echols. Others like James Pierre and D’Shawn Jamison will be competing for a sixth spot, though it’s possible Pittsburgh could carry 11 defensive backs.
It really depends upon how special teams sorts out, and Castro is very much ready for that. To paraphrase Yahya Black, if Danny Smith tells him to go get it, he’s gonna go get it. Steelers beat writers have put out earlier this offseason that the rookie could push for a roster spot. It’s certainly not unrealistic, but it will depend a lot on what happens in the third phase of the game. With the potential for more, in the best-case scenario.
“If Castro can do enough this offseason to make the roster, his ceiling would give the Steelers a valuable piece at box safety,” Pro Football Focus wrote after the draft. Although he isn’t exactly an outside cornerback, he can play anywhere else in the secondary. He played the “cash” position in Iowa’s secondary, a role previously belonging to Amani Hooker and Cooper DeJean.
Watch all your favorite Amazon Prime Video Sports broadcasts live and free. Get access to NFL, NBA, NASCAR, WNBA, and more – all included with your Prime membership!