NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- When you're a high draft pick, you can have an injury here or there as a rookie and still have your roster position be safe.
When you're a lower-round or undrafted guy, an injury can be the difference between you earning a roster spot or moving on with your life's work.
Injuries are unavoidable when playing football. But the Steelers' rookie draft class has been hit hard by them at training camp. First-round pick Devin Bush sat out last week's game against the Chiefs with a shoulder issue. Third-round selection Diontae Johnson missed the opening preseason game and is likely out for Sunday's game against the Titans here at Nissan Stadium because of nagging injuries. Running back Benny Snell also likely won't play in this game because of a groin injury. And fifth-round pick Zach Gentry sat out the game against the Chiefs, though he is expected to play against the Titans.
They're all lucky, though, when compared to linebacker Sutton Smith, the first of the Steelers' three sixth-round draft picks this year. Smith, a product of Northern Illinois, hasn't been healthy enough to play in either of the Steelers' first two preseason games, missing 17 consecutive days of training camp practice with an abdominal injury.
Smith returned to practice earlier this week. And to say that he's champing at the bit to see his first preseason action against the Titans would be an understatement.
"Oh yeah. This is going to be fun," Smith told me. "It sucks being injured. It's not fun. But you've got to take the right precautions on some injuries. You hate it, but you've got to do it."
Being patient with his injury might have been something Smith had to do. But he most certainly didn't like it.
And being out that long has left him with a much bigger task to accomplish. He has just two remaining preseason games with which to show the coaching staff he deserves a spot on the team.
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