Sebastian Castro wasn't drafted, but he was well known by college football fans who watched the 5-11 1/4, 209-pound safety play in four bowl games and start the last three seasons for Iowa in the Big Ten Conference. And when the Steelers signed him after the draft, those fans believed they got a steal.
Castro's chances of making the roster increased upon the trading of Minkah Fitzpatrick, and even before that time Castro had played well in his first NFL spring.
Today's rookie Snapshot was kept in Q&A form, since it probably tells us more about the rookie than a feature story. Here's how our conversation went during minicamp:
SEBASTIAN CASTRO, S, Pittsburgh Steelers
Q: Do they call you SeaBass?
SC: I've got a lot of nicknames by now. "SeaBass" is one of the main ones right now. I hadn't heard that name since grade school, though. A lot of people just call me Castro.
Q: The Iowa guys say you're a real ball hunter who gets there in a bad mood.
SC: Bad mood?
Q: That's what they're saying, that you're half linebacker, half safety.
SC: I never say no to that. But I do like making plays on the ball as well. I feel like whenever the defense allows that, the more the merrier. Iowa was different. There was a structure at Iowa. And every defense has a structure. But you don't want to make too many plays outside yourself. By outside yourself, I mean outside the game plan, where your job is. I was playing a lot of nickel and I didn't really have the freelance to fly around and read the quarterback per say and feel the routes develop. That's something I've always felt I was good at as well. I feel I can display that because I pride myself on that as well as being a hard hitter, linebacker/safety type, nickel, all that. I just want to be a football player.
Q: You are most proud of staying within the structure?
SC: Oh no. I would say being able to go outside of it.
Q: Polamalu used to talk about being able to do everything within the structure, but then having the freedom here to go outside.
SC: He definitely did. With someone like that, you have to be able to know when you can take your shots and be able to get outside of that. I remember hearing Polamalu say he never wanted to walk away from a game saying he should've done that, could've done that. That's how I grew up. That's going back to the backyard days of playing football. That's where the fun is, really. If I lose my job doing that, at the end of the day it was me, my game, my personality, what I bring to the table. And I can live with that.
Q: Aren't the great safeties programmed that way?
SC: Yeah.
Q: You don't want to just be a robot out there, right?
SC: Right. You never want to be - and this is something (secondary) coach (Phil) Parker used to say back at Iowa - you don't want to be a cone. A "cone" is a guy that just does the structure all the time, just sits in that one spot and is very predictable. You don't want to be too predictable in a game like this.
Q: Do you have to watch a lot of film to do that?
SC: Yeah. You do. It's my hobby, to be honest. When people ask me what my hobbies are, I assume watching film is my hobby I guess. I enjoy breaking it down and seeing what the bigger picture is. It's something I've always enjoyed, since I was a young kid.
Q: Troy would study all aspects of the other team, like the offensive line. Eventually he was timing dives on QB sneaks perfectly.
SC: Right. Well he played a lot close to the line of scrimmage. He had to know what was going on. If I'm a corner who's not going to be involved with that, why would I invest a lot of my time? It all depends on the position. Troy Polamalu was everywhere. I know he spent a lot of time watching a lot of different things. The fact he could do it very well all around, that's very tough as well, to be good at all of it in different areas. You've got to spend more time in your film study.
Q: Where would you like to improve to get to that level? Aren't you known as an in-the-box safety?
SC: People say this and that but I feel I can play high safety as well. That's something I want to show, that I can read the quarterback, read the routes develop as the high safety, and then kind of break from it and be at a certain spot I'm not particularly supposed to be at. If a quarterback's thinking I'm over here on this side of the field, and then he throws it over there, and I make the interception, I want him to say I wasn't supposed to be there. I feel like I have that ability. I just want to do it while not losing my job, doing it within the structure but being able to know when to take your chances.
Q: Are you learning from Minkah?
SC: Not yet. Not yet to be honest. We're still early in this process. When he gives me tips, I'm going to listen.
Q: You're used to the colors here.
SC: Yeah, it's like I didn't leave Iowa.
Q: What is it about Iowa that the Steelers keep going back to take their players?
SC: I don't know the real reason, but I could imagine if I was general manager it's just that they're very similar: very hard-hosed, tough football. You could say blue collar, but guys who just like to come in and work. That's one of the things that stands out. Can this type of guy fit in this locker room? I think that's one of the main things from my perspective right now.
Q: What can you tell me about your rookie teammate **Kaleb Johnso**n?
SC: He definitely hits a different gear once he's out and gets in his stride. You definitely feel it. You might not sense it when you're watching it, but if you're chasing him and you think you've got an angle on him, once he turns upfield he kicks a different gear. That's something that's unique about him. It's something you wouldn't be able to tell unless you're out there feeling it.
Q: His 40 time is 4.57.
SC: Yeah. He's a big guy.
Q: He looks faster than that.
SC: His top gear is his last gear. That's when he's at his fastest. So once he gets it there, I don't know, something in his body clicks the engine into - what do you call it?
Q: The Batmobile overdrive thrusters?
SC: Yeah. That's what he does. It's been cool to watch him since he was a freshman.
Sebastian Castro wearing his past and current number at the Senior Bowl (Photo: Vasha Hunt, USA TODAY Sports)