MARQUETTE – Two former Northern Michigan University football players apparently won’t make it onto regular-season rosters of their respective National Football League teams, it was revealed on Saturday when the league required its teams to cut down to a final 53 players.

Both wide receiver Marcus Tucker of Flint and center Kyle Steuck of De Pere, Wisconsin, graduated from NMU in April and starred for the Wildcats in playing careers that ended last fall.

Each was invited to NFL rookie camps in May. Tucker was signed almost immediately following that camp by the Pittsburgh Steelers, while Steuck had to wait until August to be picked up on the 90-man roster by his hometown Green Bay Packers.

Both made the first cutdown to 75-man rosters on Tuesday.

Tucker caught three passes for 23 yards while playing in three of the Steelers’ four preseason games. That included one catch of six yards in Pittsburgh’s final game against Carolina on Thursday before cuts were announced on the Steelers’ website on Saturday.

Steuck, meanwhile, didn’t play for the Packers until Thursday against Kansas City, when he suffered a season-ending leg injury, according to football writer Michael Cohen of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel’s website.

Steuck was placed on injured reserve, though it was unclear what status that leaves him in with the Packers.

Information compiled by Journal Sports Writer Ryan Stieg and Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee. Email them at sports@miningjournal.net.