{"id":5039,"date":"2026-06-10T14:57:42","date_gmt":"2026-06-10T07:57:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.drinkfood.info\/?p=5039"},"modified":"2026-06-10T14:57:42","modified_gmt":"2026-06-10T07:57:42","slug":"more-than-two-hours-after-the-entire-team-had-left-otas-a-steelers-third-round-draft-pick-returned-to-retrieve-a-forgotten-item-what-he-saw-t-j-watt-doing-left-the-entire-locker-room-silent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.drinkfood.info\/?p=5039","title":{"rendered":"More Than Two Hours After the Entire Team Had Left OTAs, a Steelers third-Round Draft Pick Returned to Retrieve a Forgotten Item \u2014 What He Saw T.J.Watt Doing Left the Entire Locker Room Silent..DT"},"content":{"rendered":"

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania \u2014<\/strong> What started as a simple mistake turned into one of the most talked about moments inside the Steelers locker room this offseason.<\/p>\n

Just days into the team’s OTA period, practice had wrapped up and most players had already left the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex.<\/p>\n

\"Article<\/p>\n

Rookie cornerback Daylen Everette<\/strong> was no different.<\/p>\n

Like everyone else, he packed up his equipment and headed home after another long day of learning the Steelers playbook and adjusting to life in the NFL.<\/p>\n

A couple of hours later, Everette realized he had left an important item behind \u2014 his iPad containing practice notes, coaching points, and valuable information from team meetings.<\/p>\n

Not wanting to fall behind, the rookie immediately turned his car around and headed back to the facility.<\/p>\n

When he arrived, the parking lot was nearly empty.<\/p>\n

Most of the lights throughout the complex had already been turned off.<\/p>\n

Everette expected to be in and out within a few minutes.<\/p>\n

But as he walked near the practice fields, something caught his attention.<\/p>\n

In the distance, lights were still shining.<\/p>\n

At the far end of the field, one player remained.<\/p>\n

Working completely alone.<\/p>\n

It was T.J. Watt.<\/strong><\/p>\n

While the rest of the roster had been gone for more than two hours, the face of the Steelers defense was still grinding through drills by himself.<\/p>\n

Running.<\/p>\n

Exploding off the line.<\/p>\n

Working on hand placement.<\/p>\n

Repeating movements over and over again.<\/p>\n

No coaches.<\/p>\n

No cameras.<\/p>\n

No reporters.<\/p>\n

No audience.<\/p>\n

Just T.J. Watt and the work.<\/p>\n

Later, Everette shared what he witnessed, and his comments quickly spread throughout the locker room.<\/p>\n

“I thought I was one of the last guys out of here today,”<\/em> Everette said.<\/p>\n

“I got home, sat down, and realized I forgot my iPad. I came back expecting the place to be empty. Instead, I see T.J. Watt still out there working by himself. That’s when it really hit me \u2014 the difference between making it to the NFL and becoming truly great.”<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Article<\/em><\/p>\n

The story immediately resonated with several younger players inside the organization.<\/p>\n

For Everette, what started as a quick trip to retrieve a forgotten device became one of the most valuable lessons of his rookie offseason.<\/p>\n

He wasn’t watching film.<\/p>\n

He wasn’t sitting in a meeting room.<\/p>\n

He was witnessing the standard firsthand.<\/p>\n

For years, teammates and coaches have described T.J. Watt as one of the hardest working players in professional football.<\/p>\n

His accolades speak for themselves.<\/p>\n

Multiple Pro Bowl selections.<\/p>\n

Multiple All Pro honors.<\/p>\n

A Defensive Player of the Year award.<\/p>\n

Yet despite all the accomplishments, Watt continues to work as if he still has everything to prove.<\/p>\n

That mindset is precisely why so many players inside the Steelers organization view him as the foundation of the team’s culture.<\/p>\n

For Daylen Everette, the lesson was impossible to ignore.<\/p>\n

Talent gets you drafted.<\/p>\n

Talent gets you opportunities.<\/p>\n

But discipline, consistency, and sacrifice are what separate great players from everyone else.<\/p>\n

And on a quiet evening inside an almost empty Steelers facility, a forgotten iPad delivered a lesson that no meeting, no speech, and no playbook could ever teach.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania \u2014 What started as a simple mistake turned into one of the most talked about moments inside the Steelers locker room this offseason. 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