Devlin Hodges has earned a new fan during his time in Pittsburgh. 

Hodges, Pittsburgh's fourth string quarterback, received praise from Steelers starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger as Pittsburgh wrapped up training camp. Big Ben expressed his appreciation for Hodges' game when asked to assess each of Pittsburgh's backup quarterbacks entering the Steelers' second preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs. 

"Yeah, for sure," Roethlisberger said of Hodges. "I think all the guys had a great showing [in Pittsburgh's first preseason game]. Each one did something kind of a little different and intriguing. Josh [Dobbs] made plays with his feet, Mason [Rudolph] had some really good pocket movement and making some good throws. [Hodges] is just slinging it and it's fun to watch. He's kind of fearless out there ... I think you're gonna continue to see growth from all of them and him especially as a young guy, from a small school, undrafted, it's fun to see guys like that succeed." 

Hodges, who beat out Brogan Roback for Pittsburgh's fourth and final spot on the depth chart during Pittsburgh's rookie minicamp, completed 8 of 14 pass attempts for 79 yards in a preseason debut that included a touchdown pass to receiver Tevin Jones. Hodges will continue to play behind fellow backups Josh Dobbs and Mason Rudolph, who are competing to be the Steelers' No. 2 quarterback at the start of the regular season. Rudolph, who played after Dobbs started last Friday night's game, will start Saturday night. 

One of the most prolific passers in FBS history, Hodges left Samford as the school's all-time leading passer. The 2018 Walter Payton Award winner (the FCS equivalent of the Heisman Trophy), the 6-foot-1, 210-pound quarterback threw for 14,584 yards and 111 touchdowns with just 41 interceptions. Hodges, who completed 69.1 percent of his attempts, threw for 4,088 yards (while completing 70.8 percent of his passes) with 36 touchdowns and just eight interceptions in 2016, his first season as a full-time starting college quarterback. In 2018, a year after throwing for nearly 4,000 yards and 31 touchdowns, Hodges again broke the 4,000-yard passing barrier to go with 32 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. He was also a decent scrambler at Samford, rushing for 1,017 yards and 17 touchdowns. 

"Hodges is a signal caller that hasn't received much attention during the draft process," NFLDraftBlitz.com wrote of Hodges leading up to the draft. "His size, small hands and sidearm delivery will cause some concern. However, he is an accurate QB with a strong arm and a quick release. He broke Steve McNair's FCS record for passing yards. He will be an undrafted free agent, but he has the tools and the mental makeup to become a backup QB in the NFL."

Like former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, Hodges is an undrafted quarterback who won the Walter Payton Award. Hodges went undrafted despite having a strong performance at Samford's pro day back in March. 

"I'm confident I got some good feedback and that's all I can ask for, they've said I'm going to get an opportunity and that's all I ever wanted," Hodges said after his pro day. Hodges added the he hopes to follow in the footsteps of Drew Brees and Russell Wilson, two Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks that are considered short at the NFL level.

"They're shorter guys, so you know they kind of done away with the height deal because of their success, those guys have been a role model to me," he said. "My dream is to play football as long as I can and that's what I want to do."