Wide Receiver Hollis Mathis Honored to Be Attending Steelers Rookie Minicamp
Approximately, over twenty undrafted players are trying out at the Steelers' rookie minicamp this year. Five of them have ties to Pittsburgh. Some are from Pittsburgh, while others attended college in the city. Hollis Mathis is a Pittsburgh native. He’s from Penn Hills, which is a suburb of Pittsburgh. Speaking about his minicamp experience with the Steelers, Mathis said, “I learned that this organization is pretty much what it looks like from the outside. It’s a great organization.” Mathis added, “It’s always been a dream of mine. This is definitely a dream come true, pretty much in every way imaginable.”
Mathis attended the College of William & Mary, which is located in Williamsburg, Virginia. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin also attended William & Mary. During his collegiate football career, Mathis played quarterback, running back, and receiver. Mathis became the second player in college football history to rush, throw, and catch for over 1,000 yards during his career. He finished his collegiate career as a receiver. Mathis had 85 receptions for 985 yards and five touchdowns. He also had 262 carries for 1,096 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground. He had 126 completions, which totaled 1,722 yards, and 10 touchdowns through the air.
Mathis and Coach Tomlin’s oldest son, Dino, grew up together. Mathis and Dino played basketball against each other in middle school. During high school, they were teammates on Evolve, which is a seven-on-seven football team in Pittsburgh. Mathis is six-foot-two and weighs 175 pounds. During pre-draft testing, Mathis ran a 4.59-second 40-yard dash. He had a 36.5-inch vertical, 10-foot-10 broad jump. He completed the three-cone drill in six seconds. It will be interesting to see if Mathis earns a spot on the Steelers roster.
Rookie minicamp started on Friday, May 9th. Rookie minicamp consists of three 10-hour days. Today is the last day. Rookies receive a proper introduction to the NFL during minicamp. Activities include drills and strength and conditioning exercises. Rookies also get fitted for their equipment during minicamp. The Steelers’ organized team activities are scheduled for May 27-June 12. Steelers training camp begins in July.
