The day after the Steelers selected Spencer Anderson, the 2023 seventh-round pick was instructed to call then-assistant offensive line coach Isaac Williams.Hey coach, Spencer Anderson here.He was met with silence.Coach, this is Spencer Anderson.“One more time for me,” Anderson remembers Williams saying.Uhh you drafted me. Spencer Anderson.That first conversation told the rookie plenty about what life is like as a late-round pick. The Steelers had made a splashy move that year when they traded up in the first round to draft offensive tackle Broderick Jones. Anderson waited until pick No. 251 — eight spots ahead of so-called Mr. Irrelevant, the NFL Draft’s final selection. Sometimes, Anderson felt like he should have the tongue-in-cheek tagline.“I always felt like I was the middle child or the stepson, however you want to look at it,” Anderson said. “Nobody knew who I was and what I could do, to be honest.”What we learned from Drew Allar's stellar preseason performanceMike DeFaboNow in his fourth NFL season, Anderson has worked himself into a position to change that. The 6-5, 305-pound lineman has been running with the first-team offense at right guard since OTAs. In one of the few position battles that’s not totally settled, Anderson will still need to hold off Brock Hoffman over the final two preseason games, including on Friday when the Steelers host the New York Jets. However, the once-forgotten seventh-round pick remains in pole position to start Week 1.“Competition, it’s always a constant,” Anderson said. “Just proving myself right every day. This all comes down to me proving to myself that I belong here and I could fulfill my childhood dreams.”While the opportunity to win a starting job out of camp is new, fighting for a roster spot is not. Players who join the Steelers in the seventh round aren’t guaranteed much more than a dorm room at Saint Vincent College and some cafeteria lunches. During Anderson’s first training camp in Latrobe, former head coach Mike Tomlin pulled Anderson aside and reminded him of this fact.