UDFA Reggie Dunn

[SteelerOfDeVille]

OK let´s the kid prove in preseason if he belongs. What I meant in the previous post was I think a roster spot is justified if he is a waepon as those you correctly mention.

My mistake - wasn't disagreeing with you... but, if he proves to be as valuable as his college stats indicate, you kinda have to keep him - don't you?

[SteelSpain]

My mistake - wasn't disagreeing with you... but, if he proves to be as valuable as his college stats indicate, you kinda have to keep him - don't you?

No problem friend, we are saying the same thing.

[hawaiiansteel]

Steelers rookie minicamp: Undrafted Reggie Dunn says he's 'a big-time playmaker'

By Neal Coolong on May 3 2013



The electrifying Reggie Dunn will be on the field starting today as the Steelers kick off their rookie minicamp in Pittsburgh.

Former Utah kick returner Reggie Dunn seems a tad miffed at the fact he fell past 32 teams over seven rounds in the 2013 NFL Draft.

And he seems quick to tell you why all those teams were wrong.



'Why would they kick to Reggie Dunn?'

Broadcasters were in shock after Utah return man and Steelers undrafted rookie Reggie Dunn returned a kick for a touchdown against Colorado.

In an interview with Desert News reporter Brad Rock, Dunn said he wondered what he needed to do to get drafted. With four kick returns for touchdowns and a blistering 40 time of 4.22, he seemed beyond shocked he wasn't taken.

Rock had a great line in describing Dunn's impact at Utah:

...Utah coach Kyle Whittingham marveled: "I can't for the life of me figure out why they kicked to Reggie Dunn."

Neither could the Colorado administration, which fired coach Jon Embree three days later.

His two returns against Cal boosted his legend.

Looking at his highlights, it's tough to say he's not what he says he is; "a big-time playmaker." But in the NFL, with the difficulty to paring a roster down to 53 players, showing more dimension than just special teams is oftentimes the reason perhaps a lesser-skilled return man is used.

That's not set in stone, however. Would a team rather have a jack of all trades who masters none, or a guy who can excel at a high level in one area of the game, but nothing else?

How Dunn performs at the Steelers minicamp this weekend could begin answering that question. Either way, he is still perhaps the most intriguing prospect who will be on the field at the South Side facility starting today.

[URL]http://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/2013/5/3/4296332/steelers-rookie-minicamp-highlights-reggie-dunn-kick-returner-utah[/URL]

[DukieBoy]

That KO return was way to easy. Colorado covered it like a broken sieve. Still, it's just one sample of Dunn. More to follow, I hope.

[8467thekraken]

If Dunn can show up and deliver as advertised, either redman or dwyer may be the odd man out. Personally, I am hoping for Dwyer to come into camp in shape. Hoping that the team putting him up for trade has lit a fire under this kids a$$. Nothing against redman. It's just that I can see the talent that dwyer has. So can other posters on this site. Having Bell, a determined Dwyer and a speedster like Dunn in the backfield gives the team a nice diversification of weaponry for Haley and Ben to utilize, and compliment the WR squadron. It kinda makes my mouth water.

[chiken]

i hope having Dunn in the backfield doesn't resemble having Rainey in the backfield.. Did we get even one big play out of him last year?

[Eddie Spaghetti]

I never thought rainey was used correctly last year.

this kid may find a niche with haley if he is a quick study. A year on the PS might help too.

[Rara]

Although I'm a bit wary of his reported 4.2 forty (apparently, there were a lot of similar times at that pro day), if Dunn can be a weapon in the return game, he should have a shot at a roster spot. A real weapon in the return game would be great.

I just hope Dunn doesn't turn out like Stefan Logan..

[SteelSpain]

I just hope Dunn doesn't turn out like Stefan Logan..

KICK RETURN
Year Team G Ret Yds Avg Lng TD 20+ 40+ FC FUM
2012 Detroit Lions 16 28 597 21.3 40 0 17 1 0 0
2011 Detroit Lions 16 33 832 25.2 42 0 29 1 0 2
2010 Detroit Lions 16 55 1,448 26.3 105T 1 41 5 0 1
2009 Pittsburgh Steelers 16 55 1,466 26.7 83 0 43 4 0 1

The Logan returning stats. I don´t think 26.7 was a so bad. To warrant a roster spot? I don´t know.

I yet remember when he returned a punt to the house against Carolina in preseason this year. I was excited.

[SteelSpain]

Pittsburgh Steelers Undrafted Rookie Could Have Big Impact in 2013
Reggie Dunn Out to Prove His College Production Will Tranlate to the NFL

By Sheldon Rodgers | Yahoo! Contributor Network

COMMENTARY | Even with the NFL draft already two weeks behind us, most of the Pittsburgh Steelers fans that I've spoken with recently are still abuzz over the nine rookies picked during those seven rounds. With more holes than usual to fill, fans expect early-round selections like Jarvis Jones and Le'veon Bell to step up and make immediate impacts for the Steelers. While this is certainly possible, and in all likelihood probable considering the team's needs at outside linebacker and running back, the one rookie who could make the most contributions is one that didn't even get to hear his name called by commissioner Roger Goodell.
That would be undrafted free agent Reggie Dunn from the University of Utah. Though listed as a wide receiver for the Utes, the 5' 10", 175 lb Dunn truly made a name for himself as one of the absolute best kick returners in the nation last year. In fact, he set an NCAA single-season record by returning four kickoffs 100+ yards for touchdowns. What is even more impressive is that he did so with only 10 attempts. You see, after returning two of those touchdowns against California in the eighth game of the season, opposing teams knew enough to stop kicking the ball to Dunn, preferring to send their kicks out of bounds. Dunn also holds the NCAA career record for 100+ yard kickoff returns for touchdowns with five.
Dunn was able to accomplish these feats due to his world-class speed. He was timed at 4.22 and 4.26 in the 40-yard dash at the Utah pro day on March 20th. To put that into perspective for Steeler fans, Mike Wallace (widely regarded as one of the fastest players ever to wear the Black & Gold) ran a 4.33 40-yard dash at the NFL combine in 2009.
"I have to say my first two steps are explosive, but for me, I think the key would have to be my speed and then translating that with my vision," Dunn said in an interview with Desert News reporter Brad Rock on May 2nd.
So while Dunn has the talent and the college pedigree to immediately step in as the primary returner for the Steelers, none of that would have mattered if the team already had an established player in that role. They do not. Last season, Chris Rainey returned 39 of the team's 43 kickoffs, none of them for touchdowns. He is now gone, having been released by the Steelers early in the offseason due to an alleged domestic violence incident. Receivers Antonio Brown and Emmanuel Sanders shared return duties the previous two seasons, but both are expected to be offensive starters in 2013 and head coach Mike Tomlin prefers not to use his starters in the return game if he can help it. That leaves recently signed free agent Larod Stephens-Howling and possibly sixth round pick Justin Brown as Dunn's main competition for the job. Brown, however, has limited experience as a returner and while Stephens-Howling had some success in the role with the Arizona Cardinals, he lacks the uncanny speed and explosiveness of Dunn.
Even so, Tomlin is well known for his desire for players with "position flexibility", and both Brown and Stephens-Howling are able to fill an offensive position as well as being a returner. Dunn, on the other hand, would strictly be a return specialist. Still, that may not eliminate him from landing a spot on the final 53-man roster, as there is a recent precedence for a return specialist making the team. In the 2009 preseason, little-known Stefan Logan made some noise by returning five kickoffs for 185 yards and nine punts for 191 yards and a touchdown. This production landed him on the regular season roster, and he would go on to set a Steelers record with 1,466 kickoff return yards for the year.
The Steelers have also had monster success in recent years from undrafted players like James Harrison and Willie Parker. History could very well repeat itself this year with Dunn, and he is certainly a name that fans will want to keep an eye on this preseason.

[URL="http://sports.yahoo.com/news/pittsburgh-steelers-undrafted-rookie-could-big-impact-2013-210400157.html"]http://sports.yahoo.com/news/pittsburgh-steelers-undrafted-rookie-could-big-impact-2013-210400157.html[/URL]