Chris Rainey left this weekend’s rookie minicamp with a better sense of the Steelers offense as well as a new four-year contract.
The Steelers announced that they reached agreement on a deal with the former Florida Gator that they selected in the fifth round of the draft. Rainey was one of the combine stars thanks to his speed and agility, skills that have led him and others to suggest he could play a Darren Sproles-type role on offense and special teams in the NFL.
His Sproles-type size -- Rainey is 5'8" tall -- helped send him to the fifth round. Rainey also was arrested for stalking while in Gainesville, although the charges were dropped when he agreed to take part in a pre-trial diversion program. Those two things knocked him down the draft board, but that could be a blessing for the Steelers if Rainey winds up giving them a jolt of energy in the years to come.
Rainey joined nose tackle Alameda Ta’amu as draft picks signed by the Steelers already. Picking up those two players in the middle rounds is part of the reason many pundits have given the Steelers high marks for their work during the draft.