Drafting a prospect who is not a finished product, who doesn’t have a lot of experience at the position he’s being drafted to play, is always a gamble, no matter where it occurs in the draft. The Pittsburgh Steelers understood that tight end Zach Gentry would need time to develop into the role that they wanted him to execute when they drafted him in the fifth round in 2019.
While he was largely quiet during his first two seasons, only playing, or even dressing, when there were injuries, he wasn’t static. He was growing, and he showed that beginning last season, becoming the team’s primary tight end.