Olympic gold medalist wrestler Gable Steveson has an uphill climb to make the roster after signing to play for the Bills, but he has found a good mentor in Von Miller.
Miller, the eight-time Pro Bowl pass rusher, said Steveson approached him immediately and said he wants to soak up all of Miller’s knowledge.
“His locker is right next to mine, and right when we signed him he texted me like, ‘I’m going to be on your hip, my locker is right next to yours.’ I said, ‘Alright, it’s cool.’ But it didn’t really hit me until we’re in there talking to him and he’s just now playing football, learning some of the stuff that we did when we were kids. He has to be on an accelerated learning path, which he’s capable of doing,” Miller said. “When it comes to an athletic standpoint, physical standpoint, he’s got it all. When he came in yesterday I had to try him a little bit, try to grapple him a little bit, and he was quick, and he grabbed me, and I see it, I feel it. So he’s definitely got all the athletic ability in the world.”
Former NCAA heavyweight champion Stephen Neal didn’t play college football and ended up having a decade-long NFL career. Neal spent his first season as a practice squad player before becoming a starter with the Patriots, and Steveson could follow the same career path.