As expected, Pittsburgh Steelers rookie cornerback Shaquille Richardson will indeed be able to attend the OTA sessions that get underway on Tuesday.
.@steelers DB @Dr4_Richh (Shaq Richardson) is eligible to & will participate in OTAs & minicamp.
— Burt Lauten (@SteelersPRBurt) May 26, 2014
During the Steelers recent rookie minicamp, head coach Mike Tomlin announced that Richardson and fellow rookie, UCLA linebacker Jordan Zumwalt, would both be forced to miss the OTA practices because of both players being from schools that use the quarter system.
As I stated previously, a quick research following the draft showed that Richardson’s school, Arizona, uses the semester system and not the quarter system.
This is great news for Richardson as being able to attend the OTA practices and mandatory summer minicamp should definitely help in his early development and understanding of the Steelers defense.
Richardson was the Steelers first of two fifth-round draft picks this year. He was originally recruited to UCLA by Steelers defensive backs CarnellLake, but transferred to Arizona prior to the start of his freshman season after being dismissed by the school following him being arrested for suspicion of felony theft.
