Organized by Highest Value (“HV#”) to the Steelers. Great players for other teams get downgraded here, as do positions where Pittsburgh has limited “want.” An HV of 1:25 means the player is a reach for the Steelers if they pick at any point before Pick # 25 overall but good value at any point from the end of the 1st on. Getting that player in the early 2nd would be fine, while getting him in the late 2nd would start to look like a steal.
Yes, this system results in a certain amount of grade inflation for positions of need because we are talking about the “highest” grade, not the one where a player is expected to go; but grades are never pushed up just because of need. Players with the same HV# are more-or-less equivalent and organized alphabetically. Boards organized by HV are sorted within each grade by position: Defense and then Offense, inside to out.
Rounds are subdivided as follows:
- 1st Round grades: 1:01, 1:05, 1:10, 1:15, 1:20, or 1:25.
- 2nd & 3rd Round grades: Early (#:01), Mid (#:12), or Late (#:24).
- 4th to 7th Round grades: Early (#:01) or Late (#:16).
Meeting notes exclude informal interviews because there are just too many.
| HV | DESCRIPTION |
| 1:01 | DT Jalen Carter, Georgia (Junior). 6’3”, 314 lbs. with 33½” arms and 10¼” hands. Will be a 22-year-old rookie. A Colbert Special all day, every day, as anything from a 1-tech to a 5-tech. The running mate for Cam Heyward since he can also handle duties as a NT. The #1 prospect in the draft on Daniel Jeremiah’s initial Top 50 list. |
| 1:01 | EDGE Will Anderson Jr., Alabama (Senior). 6’3½”, 253 lbs. with 33⅞” arms and 9⅞” hands. 21, turns 22 in September. Slick as you-know-what flying out of a goose, he is a field-tilting threat that offenses plan around for every snap. |
| 1:05 | CB Christian Gonzalez, Oregon by way of Colorado (Junior). 6’1⅜”, 197 lbs. with 32” arms and 9½” hands. Only turns 21 in June. This is going to feel like I’m jinxing the kid, but my take is HOF potential with a starter floor. He’s had success outside and in the slot, and in press man, off man, and zone. Despite his youth, he’s got three years of starter experience (though he didn’t ‘arrive’ until his final one in 2022). He’s even got good hands. Extremely fluid, plenty fast, very young, and on a distinct upward curve. Tom Mead’s gif-supported Depot scouting report does find some nits to pick, particularly in the area of pure play strength. Big men like Tee Higgins and jump-ball experts like George Pickens will give him fits early in his career. And while an eager tackler, he brings so-so skill to the job. But those are all things that good coaching can fix, which only means his potential is that much higher. It’s hard to find a scouting profile that doesn’t come close to a rave review. Gonzalez is Lance Zierlein’s CB1, with a grade barely a tick behind CB/S Brian Branch. “The ingredients are already present to become a feared CB1 if he plays to his gifts.” This goes to the “early pro bowler” TDN scouting profile. “Arguably the best cover corner in this class… beyond smooth along with having top-tier size and athleticism” says this Vikings-oriented January scouting profile. Here’s another solid looking January scouting profile. This January scouting profile is the most critical I’ve found, arguing that Gonzales can be too conservative at times, can be susceptible to double moves, and may lack ball skills (which everyone agrees was an issue until 2022, when he cleaned that up and suddenly became good at it). |
| 1:10 | EDGE/DT Tyree Wilson, Texas Tech. (Senior). 6’6”, 271 lbs. with incredible 35⅝” arms and 9⅝” hands. 22, turns 23 just before the draft. NOTE: Has been graded as a Top-10 talent for teams that don’t ask their pass rushers to double as OLB’s. A pure 4-3 DE with the ability to slide inside at times, sort of like the ultimate, supercharged version of DeMarvin Leal in last year’s draft. Extremely powerful as a pass rusher but can be late off the snap. Has pad level issues that need to be solved. An absolutely absurd athlete. |
| 1:10 | CB Joey Porter Jr., Penn St. (Junior) [Mtg. at Combine and growing up]. 6’2½”, 193 lbs. with insanely long 34” arms and 10” hands. 22, turns 23 in July. Don’t be sold by the hype or put off by the backlash against that hype. This is actually an easy grade in the larger sense. Porter Jr. is a Round 1 lock with great upside, but he isn’t a Colbert Special. If he reaches his potential, the original J. Peezy could end up being remembered as Joey’s Dad. And if he doesn’t, the odds are excellent that Junior will still be a very solid starting corner for many years to come. Joey the prospect is built like a pure press man expert, and is very good at that job, but he is also athletic enough to play the other techniques too. Pure movement skills seem to be in the B to B+ range on the NFL scale, but he’s a solid A if you factor in size and length. If there’s a weakness it would be reaction time against DJ-level quickness and 4.2 speed, but that is true for all but the most elite coverage experts in the league. Both concerns are mitigated by his extraordinary length, leaping ability, and his skill at reaching in/over to tip away passes. Jonathan Heitritter’s gif-supported Depot scouting report adds that he’s also a willing tackler and a physical presence in the secondary who’s very good at run support. Came in at #16 on Daniel Jeremiah’s initial Top-50 list, which makes him the clear CB2 based on “elite size, length, and speed” combined with good tackling and fluid COD skills. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting report sees the COD concerns, but nevertheless ends with a strong Round 1 grade and a comp to Amani Oruwaryie. A top 4% athlete after the Combine, with a truly special 10-yard split, but without the agility testing we most wanted to see. |
| 1:10 | CB Devon Witherspoon, Illinois (Junior). 5’11½”, 181 lbs. with 31¼” arms and small 8⅞” hands. 22, turns 23 in December. A quality corner in every facet of the game, with exceptional coverage ability, tone-setting physicality, and the playmaker’s gene. You might think, “more athletic version of Cam Sutton,” which is high praise indeed. Like Sutton, his floor appears to be, “tremendous slot corner.” The ceiling is “do it all CB1.” All he lacks as a prospect is great long speed (his is only good) along with the extra size and heft to excel in press man as well as he does in off and zone. Some also question whether his body will hold up to the pounding his physical playing style creates. Daniel Jeremiah’s initial CB1 at #5 overall, and at #6 in March! Josh Carney’s gif-supported Depot scouting report likewise grades him out as a “Day 1 Starter” and “Pro-Bowl Talent.” Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile sees all the upside, but also sounds some warning notes before ending with none other than Levi Wallace (the finished version) as his pro comp. |
| 1:10 | T/G Paris Johnson Jr., Ohio St. (Junior) [Mtg. at Combine]. 6’6⅜”, 313 lbs. with 36⅛” arms and 9½” hands. Turns 22 in July. A 5-star athlete all day and every day, the only complaints would be that his technique (the punch in particular) and gut-level understanding of the position need work. Tyler Wise’s gif-supported Depot scouting report shows a huge man who moves as smoothly as many TEs, maybe even most TEs. Special stuff. Also has experience at both RG and LT, which bodes very well. Came in at #14 on Daniel Jeremiah’s initial Top-50 list. |
| 1:10 | T/G Broderick Jones, Georgia (RS Soph) [Mtg. at Combine]. 6’5⅜”, 311 lbs. with 34¾” arms and 10⅝” hands. Turns 22 just before the draft. The anchor OL for a dominant team with plenty of power and experience, plus the 5-star athleticism to become truly special. Superb ability to mirror, match, and ride speed rushers beyond the pocket. May not “hit” right away because he needs to work on his hand fighting (clapping habit in particular) and would benefit from building to superior-play strength instead of just good. But those are typical complaints and also highlight the fact that he has room to improve. Michael Rochman’s gif-supported Depot scouting report is darned close to a rave review. Came in at #15 on Daniel Jeremiah’s initial Top-50 list. Projects as a good, longtime starter within a year or two according to Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile. |
| 1:10 | G/T/C Peter Skoronski, Northwestern (Junior) [Mtg. at Combine]. 6’4”, 313 lbs. with 32¼” arms and 10” hands. Turns 22 in July. The most intriguing OL in the draft, Skoronski comes from the same program that trained up Rashawn Slater and has everything you want in an OL but pure size and length. Came in at the #6 overall player on Daniel Jeremiah’s initial Top-50 list and #8 in March. His technique is extraordinary for a college player, his foot speed and agility are special, and his hand fighting technique looks like it’s straight from an Ip Man teaching session. He is also as versatile as they come: a center all through HS, a Day One starter at LT all through college, and built like a speed-oriented OG. What will he be as a pro? The NFL.com scouting report by (OL coach’s son) Lance Zierlein sees a safe, high-floor tackle who may be capped at the very top by his length limitations, but a first-year starter and future All-Pro at guard. Jonathan Heitritter’s gif-supported Depot scouting report would agree with that assessment. Both end in solid, early to mid 1st-round grades. Coach Pat Meyer was at his pro day. |
| 1:15 | DT Bryan Bresee (“bru-ZEE”), Clemson (Soph) [Mtg. at Combine, Dinner, Earlier Years]. 6’5½”, 298 lbs. with shorter 32½” arms and 10¼” hands. Turns 22 in October (and looks like he’s still 60% a boy). Another Colbert Special for the DL. If Jalen Carter wasn’t sucking up all the odes, the same draftniks would be writing about Bresee. Jonathan Heitritter’s gif-supported Depot scouting profile emphasizes Bresee’s over the top, 5-star athletic profile, but offsets that with a number of technical flaws: bad habits like playing high, and what appears to be a lack of wind (most likely explained by a heavy snap count while recovering from a multi-week kidney infection that put him in the hospital, followed by strep throat). Those who like him note that all of those issues can be fixed with good coaching and physical training, which suggests he will end up being even better as a pro than he was in college. Immerse him in the Three Steelers Cs (Culture, Coaching, and Conditioning) and you have a very good chance of seeing the next great D-Lineman. Those who’d push his stock down to the late 1st emphasize that NFL opponents will dominate him until those errors get fixed, which will probably take until at least Year 2 and maybe Year 3; i.e., on the Cam Heyward plan. The medicals need to be checked because his 2021 season ended with both a torn ACL and shoulder surgery. Both held up fine in 2022, so it isn’t a big concern. The 2022 health issues were totally unrelated: his sister’s death from brain cancer in September, and that particularly nasty kidney infection in late September/October. Came in at #43 on Daniel Jeremiah’s initial Top-50 list (#34 in the March version 3.0), but has been as high as #5 on others. Pretty wide variation! He is generally acknowledged as a particularly tough evaluation because of all the if-maybes, yes-buts, and alternate explanations for the wide mix of great flashes with many moments of meh. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile ends in something like a Round 2 grade, based on the obvious Round 1 athletic talent being dragged down by the ACL and shoulder problems, along with a lack of statistical production. One senses a strong wish that Bresee had returned for another year in college to answer those question marks. |
| 1:15 | EDGE Myles Murphy, Clemson (Junior). [Mtg. at Dinner] 6’5”, 268 lbs. with 33¾” arms and 8½” hands. Turned 21 in January. A devastating 4-3, pass rushing Edge who’s also athletic enough to play 3-4 OLB so long as he is asked to play a shallow zone rather than actually cover. And why would anyone want to use him in any other way? An inconsistent player who flashes in some games and disappears in others. The flashes are brilliant, but can they be relied on? Dropped down to #20 overall in Daniel Jeremiah’s March Top-50 version 3.0. |
| 1:15 | Slot DB (FS/CB) Brian Branch, Alabama (Junior) [Mtg. at Combine]. 5’11⅝”, 190 lbs. with 30¾” arms and 9½” hands. Turns 22 in October. Plays the hybrid position nickel back position located directly on the line between slot corner and safety, and does it as well as anyone who has come through the draft since Minkah Fitzpatrick. Came in at #25 overall on Daniel Jeremiah’s initial Top-50 list (#31 in the March version 3.0) when viewed as more of a corner. Indeed, Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile has him as the CB1 overall, with a comp to none other than Fitzpatrick (one reason why I list him as a S/CB instead of CB/S). Among other superlatives, Zierlein says Branch’s “football intelligence is through the roof,” and “there are areas where he can improve but no real weaknesses, which could make him one of the safest picks in the draft.” Chandler Stroud’s gif-supported Depot scouting report uses Jamal Adams as the likely pro comp for this “certified hitman.” A terrific prospect who needs to be used correctly, but Pittsburgh could use an excellent slot-DB, and one who’d double as a Minkah-lite deep safety could be giggle worthy indeed. |
| 1:15 | QB C.J. Stroud, Ohio St. (RS Soph.). 6’3”, 214 lbs. with 10” hands. 21, turns 22 in October. [NOTE: Top 5 talent for the right team]. Big, tall, tough, smart, and athletic, with a big arm and extensive experience playing against the best competition in the country. Has some issues with fundamentals, like consistent footwork, but that problem simultaneously suggests as-yet-untapped upside. |
| 1:15 | QB Bryce Young, Alabama (Junior). 5’10⅛”, 204 lbs. with 9¾” hands. Turns 22 in July. [NOTE: Top 5 talent for the right team]. Won the Heisman in 2021 and returned to school anyway, which was smart because he was a better QB in 2022 even if his results were less sterling. Very accurate, with a decent but not great arm, he has a remarkable ability to see the field and make quick, smart decisions. The issues go to a distinct lack of size (he really looks small on a football field), somewhat erratic throwing mechanics, and NFL quality arm strength that isn’t any better than that. |
| 1:17 | STEELERS ROUND 1 PICK |
| 1:20 | CB Cam Smith, S. Car. (Junior) [Mtg. at Combine]. 6’0¾”, 180 lbs. with 31⅝” arms and 9⅛” hands. Turns 22 in December. Sudden, shifty, smart, ultra-aggressive, very physical in space, and all but violent in run support. You name it, he does it. Smith has played and excelled in all types of defensive coverages and schemes against SEC competition. He’s even got an excellent backpedal that many college coaches won’t even try to teach. You could summarize Owen Straley’s gif-supported Depot scouting report as, “A- athlete with A+ skills and attitude.” In other words, as a true day 1 starter with a round 1 floor (ignoring the ever present bust/injury factor). Some will argue for a ceiling set at All-Pro rather than HOF. Indeed, Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile sees him in a much more critical “average starter” light: “While his timing/length can be formidable weapons on contested catches, he often fails to move his feet quickly enough in transitions and ends up grabbing receivers, leading to penalties. Smith appears to be better suited for zone coverages and off-man but if he can trust his technique, he might become more scheme-diverse and develop into a CB2.” He didn’t make Daniel Jeremiah’s initial Top-50 list either. His Combine numbers make him a top 5% athlete even without the agility drills, which may be his strongest suit. |
| 1:20 | QB Will Levis, Kentucky (Senior). 6’3⅞”, 229 lbs. with 10⅝” hands. Turns 24 in June. He throws missiles that go where he wants them to go when the mechanics are on; is a very good athlete with NFL size and strength; has the “it” factor when it comes to leadership; and his team runs a modified pro system. But the mechanics aren’t always on, especially under pressure; which leads to some head shaking throws; and the “modified” involves a ton of half-field reads. Has admitted to the shocking sin of putting mayonnaise in his coffee. That may disqualify him from the human race but won’t stop him from being a Round 1 QB. |
| 1:20 | QB Anthony Richardson, Florida (RS Soph.). 6’4”, 232 lbs. with 10½” hands. Turns 22 in May. Should have returned to college because improved fundamentals and decision making would have put him in line to be #1 overall in 2024. Shows a lot of Josh Allen in terms of size, arm, and running ability, but he is even more raw as a prospect. The highest ceiling in the draft, no doubt, but there isn’t any reliable floor to back it up. The gif-supported Depot scouting report by Chandler Stroud calls him an “elite runner who breaks tackles against DB’s and LB’s alike,” and who also understands how to extend a play instead of taking off. Stroud agrees on Josh Allen as the comp and awards a very solid Round 1 grade. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile isn’t the only one who compares him to a young Cam Newton. |
| 1:20 | WR Jordan Addison, USC by way of Pitt. (Junior) [Mtg. at Combine]. 5’11⅛”, 173 lbs. with 30⅞” arms and 8¾” hands. Turned 21 in January. The WR helped make Kenny Pickett look like a genius in 2021 and helped win Caleb Williams a Heisman Award in 2022. Addison is the sort of guy who makes opposing DBs look like they’re playing in boots; amazingly quick, slick, and sneaky, with a sudden burst that creates separation at the catch and RAC points. He also has tremendous hands, all of which adds up to an extraordinary “create separation and then make yards” talent, who will kill you deep if you rely on him using those brakes. Great kick and punt returner too. But there is an issue. He lacks both size and grown-man strength, and it does show up at times. The sort of player who will benefit greatly from a QB who can hit him in stride. The sort of player who will terrify one group of CBs, but might be erased the next week by a Joe Haden-level technician who won’t fall for his combination of slickness, agility, and sneaky speed. Came in at #10 overall on Daniel Jeremiah’s initial Top-50 list. He was WR5 for Lance Zierlein, whose NFL.com scouting profile ends in a Round 2-ish grade due to worries about the “[lack of] size and catch strength generally associated with high-impact performers on the next level.” Alex Kozora’s gif-supported Depot scouting report ends in an early-2nd grade, noting that Addison does have the frame to bulk up a bit. Surprisingly average athletic testing at the Combine raised questions his pro day will need to answer. |
| 1:20 | WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Ohio St. (Junior) [Mtg. at Combine]. 6’0⅝”, 196 lbs. with 30½” arms and 9” hands. Turned 21 in February. Used by Ohio State as a ‘big slot,’ and set all kinds of records doing so. Actually had a better 2021 than either Garrett Wilson or Chris Olave, but injuries hampered his 2022. He could easily be the #1 receiver on Pittsburgh’s board due to his combination of overall athletic talent (top 6% with top 1% agility scores), excellent route-running skills, excellent football IQ, very good hands, and ideal tracking ability. If he ran in the 4.3s he’d be a Top-10 talent, but straight-line speed is by far the weakest part of his game. Your classic QB’s best friend type. Good blocker too for a WR. There is a perfect comp out there, I just can’t think of it. Who can you remember with a rock-solid physique, impeccable route running, smooth and deceptive movement skills, truly special hands, but basically no ability to stretch the field vertically? That’s your man. Tyler Wise’s gif-supported Depot scouting report suggests Amon-Ra St. Brown as a fellow plug-and-play big slot WR with great skills at what he does, but limited upside because the athletic profile makes it hard to expect any versatility. Tyler gives JSN’s polish and spatial awareness special praise. Tyler adds that JJSS was more physical, while JSN has more burst and agility, “but he still will do the dirty work taking big hits, kicking out linebackers etc.” Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile makes a similar comparison to Jarvis Landry, another physical WR2 who brushed up against the WR1 ranks but never quite achieved it. |
| 1:25 | ILB/EDGE Drew Sanders, Arkansas via Alabama (Junior) [Mtg. at Combine]. 6’4⅜”, 235 lbs. with 32⅛” arms and 9¾” hands. Will be a 22-year-old rookie. An undersized edge at Alabama who morphed into a successful ILB at Arkansas, his combination of athleticism, measurables, and blitzing make him the highest ceiling Buck ILB in the draft. The fan base that gets him should be prepared to exercise real patience as he limps through an extended learning curve. He’s flashed all the physical talent you could want but is still a newbie to the position with a double steep learning mountain to climb. The motor is fantastic, and he has that sudden burst you look for. Also a good, violent tackler with the rare knack of knocking the runner D.O.W.N. to prevent any squirming, fall-forward yardage. The coverage skills are barely acceptable, if that, but his combination of pure athletic talent and exceptional length suggest that he ought to end up being competent in a shallow zone and could theoretically carry a TE up the seam. Gets off blocks relatively well due to his background at edge, but does not read plays well enough to reliably hit the proper hole. Came in at #33 in Daniel Jeremiah’s initial Top-50 list. Sanders earned an enormous, early-1st grade in Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile, along with a comparison to Buffalo’s [sob] Tremaine Edmunds.. Tom Mead’s gif-supported Depot scouting report ends in a late-1st. |
| 1:25 | ILB Trenton Simpson, Clemson (Senior). [Mtg. at Dinner] 6’2⅜”, 235 lbs. with 32⅜” arms and big 10¼” hands. Will be a 22-year-old rookie. As long as he is tall, Simpson was a hybrid player in college, taking snaps from edge on out to strong safety. He would be a sideline to sideline, cover-capable Mack ILB in Pittsburgh. A tough kid with an ideal build, Simpson has the discipline of someone who comes from a military family. The downside? He hasn’t played ILB with the single-minded focus needed to really learn its intricacies, and may take several years to “get it.” The instincts (I hate that word!) aren’t well developed, and we can’t be 100% sure that they ever will be. A Round 1 talent if he ever nails down the above-the-neck part of the game, and a pretty safe Round 2 pick if he only develops an average understanding of the NFL game. A special teams ace even if he never does it. Jonathan Heitritter’s gif-supported Depot scouting report describes him as a tremendously versatile puzzle piece with all the tools to be a fine Mack, including the ability to set an edge when playing as an OLB. He ends with a fringe-1st grade and a comparison to a larger version of the Browns’ JOK. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile ends in a Round 2-3 grade, calling him a premium athlete who has shown “[only] average play recognition and a lack of patience that saw him get caught in traffic near the line.” This January scouting profile is one of several that admires his explosion and burst, but believes “Simpson lacks the ability to drop weight and anchor against the run, getting manhandled at the point of attack.” The relatively thorough TDN scouting profile agrees that he has been a super-versatile, almost positionless player with “Electric range, [] explosive hitting power, [impressive finishing ability, and [rare] passing-down value for a player of his stature.” The worry being his “reduced impact in 2022 when moved into a more traditional stack role” that would require him to read and get off blocks. Came in at #30 in Daniel Jeremiah’s initial Top-50 list. |
| 1:25 | CB Kelee Ringo, Georgia (RS Soph) [Mtg. at Combine, Visit]. 6’1¾”, 207 lbs. with 31¼” arms and 8½” hands. Turns 21 in late June. One of the easiest players in the draft to see as a HOFer in 20 years, and also easy to see as a great “If only…” Ringo is a physical marvel (top 4% athletic profile) who dominated even the most athletic college WRs (see the CFB championship where he completely shut down Quentin Johnston) but he has been exposed by truly slick route runners (see Marvin Harrison Jr. in the CFB semifinal). The bottom line is clear: he will get cooked on a regular basis in the NFL until he learns his trade, but that HOF career will be very reachable if he does. Getting there will take at least two to three years, and there’s no way to know if he has some hidden gap in the profile that college WRs couldn’t sniff out. Came in at #40 on Daniel Jeremiah’s initial Top-50 list. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile agrees entirely on both the potential and the limitations, identifying two specific issues worth mentioning: “He is very average at anticipating breaks and transitioning with them to squeeze the top of the route,” and “has issues consistently tracking deep balls.” |
| 2:01 | EDGE Felix Anudike-Uzoma, Kansas St. (Junior) [Mtg. at Combine]. 6’3⅛”, 255 lbs. with 33½” arms and 9⅝” hands. Turned 21 in January. Marries excellent but not legendary burst, bend, and COD with solid power, a plethora of diverse and effective pass-rush techniques, and comfort rushing from both a 2- and a 3-point stance. What do you get? A player who should mature into the next Highsmith and could grow into something even better. Criminally misused as a DT in the K-State defense, which fouls up any hope to measure by production stats. Here is a good interview from November. Came in at #38 in Daniel Jeremiah’s initial Top-50 list. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile sees a starting pass rusher once he builds up enough fundamentals to be better at setting the edge on run downs. A high-motor talent with surprising savvy for someone so young and inexperienced. Tyler Wise’s gif-supported Depot scouting report ends with a fringe-1st grade for a prospect with “the potential to be a solid contributor for years to come.” |
| 2:01 | EDGE Derick Hall, Auburn (Senior). 6’2¾”, 254 lbs. with exceptional 34½” arms and 10” hands. Turned 22 earlier this month. Team captain. Tremendous speed-to-power and burst; very good at run support; very able to play in coverage; and undeveloped enough to improve when it comes to hand fighting and overall pass-rush plans. Everything you want in a 3-4 OLB with the exceptions of bend around the corner and developed expertise. Came in at #24 on Daniel Jeremiah’s initial Top-50 list. This goes to a Senior Bowl interview at a Browns site. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile describes him as a “team captain with tremendous character” who merits a comparison to Carl Lawson. |
| 2:01 | EDGE Will McDonald IV, Iowa St. (Senior). 6’3⅝”, 241 lbs. (Senior Bowl weight) with amazing 34⅞” arms and 9½” hands. Turns 24 in June. Good burst with an insane amount of bend that pairs dynamically with his unusual length. The issues go to his need to add some grown-man muscle, which would definitely help him convert speed to power. He has plenty of room on his frame to do just that, and no doubt will unless it would somehow limit his speed and burst. Early, pre-process grades had McDonald down as a Round 3 talent, but he’s risen steadily – especially after a great Senior Bowl showing. His stock went up at the Combine too, when he went through the testing on Thursday despite running a 104° fever on Tuesday. Gritty kid! Shades of Julio Jones. Came in at #29 on Daniel Jeremiah’s initial Top-50 list and #25 on the March version. Note that his team asked him to play right on the line in a 4i-technique — the spot regularly occupied by Cam Heyward in Pittsburgh. That was an absurd misuse of talent since it suits neither his body nor his skill set. McDonald will live or die as a 3-4 OLB in the NFL. Accepting that role speaks well of his toughness and team first-attitude, but does not help his draft stock. Run defense is still a weakness rather than a strength. His technique is also quite raw from an NFL perspective, which could make his age an issue for the youth-loving Steelers. Chandler Stroud’s gif-supported Depot scouting report ends with a fringe-1st grade, based on his Round 1 potential offset against a severe need to develop more playing strength and to get better at shedding blocks. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile sums it up quite succinctly: “Overall, McDonald’s hard-nosed demeanor and pass-rush talent are winning play traits that will help him become a successful 3-4 outside linebacker and sack artist.” This goes to a nice, football-intensive TDN interview before the Senior Bowl, and this to an excellent interview/article with Alex Kozora, which contains a lot of personal background and perspective. |
| 2:01 | EDGE/ILB Nolan Smith, Georgia (Junior) [Mtg. at Combine]. 6’2¼”, 238 lbs. with 32⅝” arms and 9” hands. Turned 22 in January. [NOTE: This is a compromise grade. Smith deserves a 1:20 grade for Pittsburgh if he is willing to move inside to play ILB. Deserves a 2:24 or 3:01 grade if viewed as an edge prospect.] A brilliant athlete who played in college as an edge but has a Buck ILB physique and athletic profile. I remember Ray Lewis all too well, and the way Smith moves reminds me of that; just at the wrong position. If you want pure emotion, violence, response time, athletic awareness, twitch, and physicality, this is your guy. He was also the leader of men and energy bringer for CFB’s best 2022 defense until he tore his pec in late October. In the ideal (Pittsburgh) world he would move inside in the hope of being a great ILB instead of a good edge, but that’s a pretty big ask since he’s never actually played that position. He was a math major, so we know he’s got the intellectual firepower, but still. Seen as a pure OLB for the Pittsburgh defense…? The size just isn’t there, it shows, and there wouldn’t be a clean fit. Came in at #19 on Daniel Jeremiah’s initial Top-50 list, with an honest player comp to a better prepared Haason Reddick. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile admires his tough run-defense prowess more than his chops as a pure pass rusher, concluding that “Smith falls below the size standards some team might have for a 3-4 outside linebacker, but he plays team-first defense with quality technique.” Follow along with Jonathan Heitritter’s gif-supported Depot scouting report and you too may be smitten, coming away hearing echoes of his greeting words to Andy Weidl: “I’ve always wanted to be Ray Lewis but they insisted I play on the edge and I have to admit that I like that too…” One can always dream. |
| 2:01 | EDGE Lukas Van Ness, Iowa (Soph.) [Mtg. at Combine]. 6’5”, 272 lbs. with long 34” arms and big 11” hands. Turns 22 in July. Oddly inexperienced because he played all of 2022 as an undersized DT rather than in his natural edge position and was a part-time player at that. Should be able to rush from the inside in certain formations, but his wiry build does not support the idea that he could add 30 to 35 pounds and continue to play as a full-time tackle. As a pass rusher, he features a sick bull rush that has blown up many top OTs including Peter Skoronski and Paris Johnson. But he isn’t bendy and does not test opponents around the edge. It’s all power, all the time, going through the O-Lineman until the QB comes into reach. That said, if you must rely on a single trick for your pony, speed-to-power is one of the best, and that same asset makes him really good in run support. From a Steelers POV the questions are (a) can LVN be an elephant OLB in the Lamarr Woodley model, and (b) does he have hidden COD depths and other pass rushing moves that simply haven’t been tapped? There are flashes, and he is a decent athlete in space, with experience rushing from a 2-point stance. Up to #14 in Daniel Jeremiah’s March Top-50 list. The gif-supported Depot scouting report by Jonathan Heitritter is an interesting read, ending in a mid-1st to mid-2nd grade. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile agrees that he is an edge rusher who does not project well on the inside. It also notes that he badly needs to develop some pass rush moves beyond that extremely potent bull rush. |
| 2:01 | ILB Jack Campbell, Iowa (Senior). 6’4⅝”, 249 lbs. with 31⅞” arms and big 10¼” hands. Turns 23 in August. 2022 Butkus Award winner for best linebacker, and the William V. Campbell award for the best scholar/athlete (the “academic Heisman”). What a difference one day can make! He went into the Combine as an enforcer in the middle with everything but the miracle athleticism required for a man his size to handle coverage duties. The NFL.com scouting profile was just one of many that said, “lacks the short-area burst and reactive athleticism teams typically look for from NFL starters.” He came out as a 99.8th percentile athletic genius with elite change of direction talent, elite explosiveness, and enough straight-line speed to cover whoever you want, especially with his height and length. What a show! Our own Chandler Stroud describes Campbell as a “weighty, hard-nosed, run-thumping [ILB], just has a nose for the football,” and compares him to Brian Urlacher. Supposed to be a high character part of the locker room too. |
| 2:01 | S Antonio Johnson, Texas A&M (Junior) [Mtg. at Combine]. 6’2”, 198 lbs. with 32⅛” arms and 8¾” hands. Turns 22 in October. The closest I can come is SS who covers. Johnson has mostly lined up in the slot as a ferocious, if overly lanky, tackler who uses his length and instincts to be adequate in coverage too, especially against TEs and big-slots who are used to winning with size. Has played Cover 2 Safety as well, but less often. A fine prospect if Terrell Edmunds departs. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile sums it up nicely: “Johnson is positioned to become a good starter whose best ball will be played near the line of scrimmage.” Alex Kozora’s gif-supported Depot scouting report calls him a slightly more instinctual version of Edmunds, which is not exactly an insult once you’re out of Round 1. |
| 2:01 | CB Clark Phillips III, Utah (Junior) [Mtg. at Combine]. 5’9”, 184 lbs. with 29⅛” arms and 9⅛” hands. Turns 22 in December. The sort of corner who could use a sound-effects bubble over his film. It would feature a lot of flick!, whoosh!, boing!, snap!, and grrr!, but not much bang! or pow! The best Nickel CB in the draft if he can improve his tackling, which we can safely assume given his attitude. The impact of his actual height and weight will decide whether he has the potential to play outside as well. The TDN scouting profile catches it well: “his impact and elite competitive spirit are impossible to deny. He is a dog!… continuously showed up with impact plays in the biggest stages [but] while he competes well above his weight class, teams were not shy about forcing him to play off contact and tackle.” This Vikings-oriented January scouting profile lauds his “incredible click-and-close ability” and ends in a late-1st grade. This January scouting profile describes Round 1 quickness, savvy, and film, but ends in a mid-late 2nd grade based on play strength concerns. In a parallel vein, this January scouting profile sees a wonderful zone/slot corner due to his reaction time, instincts, quickness, and attitude, but again worries about the actual size and length. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile uses Mike Hilton as the comp and makes a point of emphasizing that Phillips is a “voracious student of the game… who is tough, smart, and knows how to play.” Owen Straley’s gif-supported Depot scouting report agrees with everyone else, ending with a Round 2 grade. Phillips had a surprisingly rough day at the Combine, putting his grade in flux until the March 23 Utah Pro Day confirms or refutes the earlier testing. |
| 2:01 | OT Dawand Jones, Ohio St. (Senior). [Mtg. at Visit] 6’8¼”, 374 lbs. with absolutely absurd 36⅜” arms and 11⅝” hands. Turns 22 in August. Those seemingly impossible measurements are official results from the Senior Bowl. Wow. Jones is a brutal giant of a Right Tackle who has every asset you want except good COD skills and actual speed. Jones also has the two-sport basketball background that Pittsburgh prefers, and experience at both left and right Tackle. According to Ross McCorkle’s gif-supported Depot scouting report, Jones is actually better at pass protection than he is at run blocking because his crazy length, overall size, and smooth vertical set make him all but impossible to bull rush, and extremely hard to get around on the edge. May be a particular fit for the Steelers because his aggressive approach and independent hand usage line up perfectly with the philosophy of O-Line coach Pat Meyer. Mirrors well, especially for a man his size, but can get grabby, especially when rushers counter to the inside (the potential weak point that needs more careful study). Too slow to be good at pulling or climbing in the run game – and it showed at the Combine – but he does handle reach blocks well, pins an edge just fine, and his size/strength combination should eventually make him good at digging people out. Here is Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile. |
| 2:01 | OT Darnell Wright, Tennessee (Senior). 6’5”, 333 lbs. with 33¾” arms and 9” hands. Turns 22 in August. Your classic people-moving Right Tackle in 2021 who played LT in 2022 and did surprisingly well. Or at least it seemed surprising until he looked so good that he won the Senior Bowl OL Practice Player of the Week, which seems to have triggered/confirmed some specific interest on Pittsburgh’s part. Chandler Stroud’s gif-supported Depot scouting report describes a player who is big, long, strong, and smart enough to use all those assets well. He’s also a splendid athlete who mirrors well, which suggests that dropping some weight might give him extra movement skills and help with his endurance. Tends to get upright or be a waist bender when the gas tank runs low. Can be more of a technician than a bully despite his size. Has shown the ability to dig out stubborn opponents in the run game, and can reach, pin, and hold the edge quite well, but not very good at pulling or climbing to the second level. Came in at #32 in Daniel Jeremiah’s initial Top-50 list and was all the way up to #17 in the March version.This scouting profile from the well-respected Brandon Thorn ends in a later-1st grade as an athletic and physical tone setter who would fit best in a downhill running game. The equally respected Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile ends in more of a Round 2 grade, seeing Wright as a pure RT who will eventually be a plus starter, but may take a few years to clean up his inconsistencies and internalize a more complicated NFL blocking scheme. |
| 2:01 | OC/G John Michael Schmitz (Senior). [Mtg. at visit] 6’3¾”, 301 lbs. with very short 32⅝” arms and 9½” hands. Turns 24 in March. One of the best interior offensive linemen of the draft, and he’s even got C/G versatility! Big and strong enough to handle even AFC North NTs, and excellent at reach- and other forms of angled, get-in-the-way blocks. Not crazy athletic like Pouncey or DeCastro but still above average. Schmitz was probably the best player at the Senior Bowl regardless of position; he looked like a pro playing against college kids. Some have compared him to 2021 draft favorite Creed Humphrey. Indeed, the main knock against Schmitz would be that he’s actually a few months older than Humphrey, who would be entering his Year 3 while Schmitz is a rookie. Has he topped out? Jon Heitritter, in a particularly good gif-supported scouting report, prefers a comp to the Titans’ Ben Jones, who got picked in Round 4 but has severely outplayed his draft position. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile described Schmitz as a rare plug-and-play prospect with a skill set reminiscent of (you guessed it) Ben Jones. This goes to a Senior Bowl interview with Jonathan Heitritter. |
| 2:01 | TE Michael Mayer, Notre Dame (Junior) [Mtg. at Combine]. 6’4½”, 249 lbs. with 9½” hands. Turns 22 as a rookie. Here’s a lazy but true comp: Pat Freiermuth but better (at least in college). Mayer does everything you could ask of a receiver, and is even a good, solid blocker albeit a little inconsistent when it comes to pure strength and technical details like hand position. A top 20% athlete for the position, which may hurt his stock in this weird year when there is a full dozen who tested even better. Bottom line? Nothing but injury will keep Mayer from a decorated, 10-year NFL career, and he could be better than that. The TE3 (#26 overall) on Daniel Jeremiah’s initial Top-50 list, but a clear TE1 who deserves a Round 1 grade according to Chandler Stroud’s gif-supported Depot scouting report: “An old school Tight End body but plays like a new school tight end” similar to Mark Andrews. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile has him as TE2, calling him a “safe pick” who is reminiscent of Jason Witten. |
| 2:01 | TE Luke Musgrave, Oregon St. (Senior). 6’5⅞”, 253 lbs. 10⅞” hands. Turns 23 in September. Went into Week 3 on a white-hot streak of two fantastic games, and then injured a knee and was out for the season. Nephew of NFL QB/Coach Bill Musgrave. An elite top ½% athlete with ridiculous speed among the other assets, but you are betting on those physical tools because his snakebit college career included little in the way of stats. Blocking in college was smart and basically effective – more positional than violent – but it looked more physical at the Senior Bowl. Proper TE security blanket hands. He earned the clear TE1 position in Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile, along with a pair of direct player comps to Dallas Goedert and Mike Gesicki. Here is a solid-looking PFN scouting profile from December. |
| 2:01 | TE Darnell Washington, Georgia (Junior). 6’6⅝”, 264 lbs. with incredible 34⅜” arms and 11” hands that let him [watch this!]. Turns 22 in August. A height/weight/speed phenom who can genuinely block and has room to improve? Definitely worth keeping an eye on, especially after he used the Combine to put up a top 2% athletic score with elite grades in every category, and make one of the most impressive catches I have ever seen. His 2022 production was only okay, but he had a foot injury for the first half of the season, played for a notoriously run-first offense, and had to compete with a sophomore phenom named Brock Bowers who was good enough to win the Mackey Award. Came in at #17 overall on Daniel Jeremiah’s initial Top-50 list, along with a description as ”a sixth offensive lineman in the run game and he’s a moving billboard in the passing game.” Jacob Harrison’s gif-supported Depot scouting report ends in a Round 2 grade. His blocking is so good that Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile suggests he could almost be considered as a candidate for conversion to a true tackle. |
| 2:01 | WR Quentin Johnston, TCU (Junior). 6’2¾”, 208 lbs. with 33⅝” arms and 9⅝” hands. Turns 22 in September. The best of the big and tall, move the chains X receivers in the draft, Johnston is also a fine athlete with elite burst for someone his size. Particularly effective at breaking tackles, but he definitely needs to work on his craft. Georgia’s Kelee Ringo shut him down completely in the national championship game because he had the rare talent to match up physically. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile worries that even with the assumption that he’ll have a more accurate deep ball QB in the pros, Johnston “still feels more like a good WR2 than a high-volume WR1.” |
| 2:01 | STEELERS ROUND 2 PICK (# 32 OVERALL) |
| 2:12 | DT Gervon Dexter Sr., Florida (RS Soph.) [Mtg. at Combine, Visit]. 6’5⅝”, 310 lbs. with 32¼’ arms and 9½” hands. Turns 22 in October. A young man with all the physical gifts required to dominate the line of scrimmage, but also enough niggling technical issues to make that a rare occurrence. In particular, his red-hot motor tends to burn out later in games, and he has a terrible habit of losing his pad level, especially against double teams or when his first pass rush move fails. Those are fixable problems, but it typically takes a few years of diligent work under good coaching. More of a DT than a NT despite the size, but you’d be drafting him to be the next Heyward or Tuitt, not the next Big Snack, and maybe that’s a role he can learn. A case where you’re betting on what his Round 1 tools and youth will become, not the Round 3 player he is right now. Jonathan Heitritter’s gif-supported Depot scouting report agrees on the Round 3 grade, calling Dexter a player who “has the measurables and physical traits to become a plus starter but needs time to hone his skills.” This goes to a thorough interview with Jonathan Heitritter at the Combine. |
| 2:12 | EDGE Isaiah Foskey, Notre Dame (Senior). 6’5⅛”, 264 lbs. with 34” arms and 9⅞” hands. 22, turns 23 in October. A wonderful straight-line athlete with tremendous burst and often-overwhelming speed-to-power, but not as bendy as you’d like and unsophisticated when it comes to actual moves. Has played 3-4 OLB in college, with decent coverage ability for a linebacker. Also an ace special teamer who once blocked two (two!) punts in a 2022 game. Tested as a Top 7-10% athlete. This year’s poster boy for Draftnik Backlash Syndrome, Foskey had a spectacular 2021 that created wild-eyed predictions of pushing toward the Top 10, but then he looked like “only” a 1st-rounder. The unmet expectations have made many fans forget that he’s still a very special athlete whose best football lies ahead. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile sees a strong future for his developing pass rush ability, but worries about his inability to set a hard edge in the run game. Ross McCorkle’s gif-supported Depot scouting report ends in a late-1st grade, with a cautionary note that Foskey may be limited for a year or two until he can develop more pass rush moves to take advantage of all those natural assets. |
| 2:12 | EDGE B.J. Ojulari, LSU (Junior). 6’3”, 248 lbs. with long 34¼” arms and big 10½” hands. Turns 21 a few weeks before the draft. An explosive, sudden athlete who can also bend the edge, but a little undersized compared to the Steelers model (excluding James Harrison, of course). Enjoyed a dominant 2022 against top SEC competition. Supposed to be an A+ teammate and human being as well. His brother, Aziz, plays edge for the Giants. Came in at #39 on Daniel Jeremiah’s initial Top 50 list. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile compares him to Harold Landry, as a bendy 3-4 OLB who struggles against the run. |
| 2:12 | EDGE/DT Keion White, Ga. Tech. (Senior). 6’6”, 285 lbs. with 34” arms and big 10⅛” hands. Turned 24 in January. NOTE: This grade would be higher if he was 2-3 years younger and/or better suited to being an OLB. The profile reminds you a bit of Lamarr Woodley; a big, strong, A+ athlete who looks like a potentially great 4-3 DE with enough movement skills to fake it as a 3-4 OLB, and enough size to move inside from time to time. If you think that is excessive praise, please look at Daniel Jeremiah’s initial Top-50 list, where White came in at #8 overall! He played like a Top-10 guy at the Senior Bowl too. (He’d dropped back to #27 in the March version 3.0, fwiw). Played TE until 2019 (how T.J. Watt of him!), so he’s still learning his position and has developmental upside. Famously hit 21 mph on a GPS tracker, which is faster than many WRs. The gif-supported Steelers Depot scouting report awards him a Round 1-3 grade even on the assumption that he will be a hybrid DT/EDGE like DeMarvin Leal rather than functioning as a full-time pass rusher. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile says he is “still in the developmental phase” but ends with a Round 1 grade because the assets are just that special. “His pass rush is predictable and lacks focus, but he’s bendy and could take a big leap forward in this department provided the coaching catches up with the physical gifts.” |
| 2:12 | S Ji’Ayir Brown, Penn St. (Senior) [Mtg. at Combine]. 5’11⅜” 203 lbs. with 31¼” arms and 10/⅛” hands. Turned 23 in January. An incredibly productive safety against both the pass and the run, Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile praises his motor more than any other feature: “Brown’s size and athletic ability both check out, but his desire to make an impact on the game stands out… [He] brings energy, leadership and passion to his team.” Zierlein uses Ryan Clark as the player comp, ending with a Round 2 grade, and only expressing concern about how often Brown gets played by smart QBs. The PFN scouting profile (Round 3-4 grade) expresses more pessimism, observing that Brown often starts a tick behind, and then takes a step or two to get up to speed. |
| 2:12 | CB/S Jartavius Martin, Illinois (Senior). 5’11”, 194 lbs. with 31⅛” arms and 9⅝” hands. Turns 23 in April. A classic tweener who straddles the line between Safety and Corner but may lack the strength to become a starter at the first spot, and the speed to succeed in the second. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile admires the “buttery smooth hip swivel,” but counters that with concerns about “lack of ideal recovery speed.” Good hands when the ball comes into reach. Owen Straley’s gif-supported Depot scouting report (Round 2 grade) sees a true, multipurpose Nickel Back who can slide out to Safety in base. |
| 2:12 | SS JL Skinner III, Boise St. (Senior). 6’4¼”, 211 lbs. with 32” arms and 8½” hands. Turns 22 in April. Here’s a fun fact: his name is actually “JL”; those aren’t initials. An enforcer in the middle who can turn and run with TE’s all day but can be beaten by pure shiftiness. Tom Mead’s gif-supported Depot scouting profile used Kam Chancellor as the player comp, but Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile (solid Round 2 grade) reminds me more of a somewhat less elite version of that profile, like Terrell Edmunds. |
| 2:12 | CB Deonte Banks, Maryland (RS Junior) [Mtg. at Combine]. 6’0⅛”, 197 lbs. with 31⅜” arms and 9⅜” hands. [Discounted for lack of fit, per Kozora scouting report]. A big, long, strong press man Corner who came in at #42 on Daniel Jeremiah’s initial Top-50 list (#28 in the March version) with the only complaint being just-average COD skills, which is still pretty amazing for a man this size if you think about it. Also adept in zone and off skills. Killed the Combine with a Top 1%(!) athletic profile that snuffed out all questions about his straight-line speed. He did not do the agility drills, however, and Alex Kozora’s gif-supported Depot scouting report suggests that this is exactly where his Achilles heel lurks. “Given his [hip] tightness, he’s an ideal fit in a [Seattle] Cover-3 scheme where he can carry and match routes vertically without having to break down and defend in-cuts.” Here is a good PFN scouting profile. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile notes that “He’s capable of matching the release and running with his opponent [but] struggles to play with poise and awareness when his back is to the football.” Has several blocked kicks to his credit. |
| 2:12 | CB Julius “Juju” Brents, Kan. St. (RS Senior). 6’2¾”, 198 lbs. with looooong 34” arms and 9⅝” hands. Turned 23 in January. Supposed to be a really fine human being in addition to his football talent. Cue the “Richard Sherman stereotype” music — except that Brents has a 98th-percentile athletic score with elite agility grades. Huge for a CB, physical, and knows how to use both in his very effective press-man game that could still be improved. He can be a half-step slower than you want for dealing with WRs who can really burn, but the height and length make up for that. One of the most dominant CBs at the Senior Bowl, where this position looked especially strong. Tyler Wise’s gif-supported Depot scouting profile says his feet are surprisingly nifty for a man his size, the speed is good enough, and he seems to be an especially smart player. All of this puts him squarely in the crosshairs for a Steelers Day 2 pick. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting report ends in an easy Day 2 grade, calling him “a classic zone cover corner with an outstanding blend of size, length and leaping ability. |
| 2:12 | CB Emmanuel Forbes, Miss. St. (Junior) [Mtg. at Combine]. 6’0¾”, 166 lbs.(!) with 32¼” arms and small 8½” hands. Turned 22 in January. A long and wiry Corner who makes up for his lack of oomph with an impressive combination of ferocity and off the charts ball-hawking talent. We’re talking more than half a dozen INTs in 2022 alone! Could also be called “skinny” instead of “wiry,” which is where the question marks arise. Excellent on special teams too as a kick-block rusher. One of those guys who always manages to be right near the ball. Came in at #21 overall on Daniel Jeremiah’s initial Top-50 list. The gif-supported Depot scouting report by Chandler Stroud calls him an improvable press man talent who is “potentially elite” in zone, ending in an enthusiastic late 2nd grade. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile sounds similar but ends in a fringe-1st type of grade, worrying most that “his slender build and lack of tackle strength will make him a target for opposing running games.” |
| 2:12 | OT Anton Harrison, Oklahoma (Junior). 6’5”, 315 lbs. with 34⅛” arms and 9⅞” hands. Turned 21 in February. Started as a true freshman, he has been consistently good at LT with a sterling record of preventing sacks and even pressures. He also comes to the league Steelers-young. Built like he was designed to be an NFL Tackle, Harrison has the assets you look for: quick enough feet, a nasty (if less effective) approach to the run game, good length, and hands that are fast, fairly accurate, and college strong. He’s just… unfinished, as you might expect from his age. He either ‘knows how to play within himself’ or ‘could use a nastier edge’ depending on your POV. Will benefit hugely from an NFL weight room to fill him out, and from NFL coaching to fully internalize the essentials, but with that profile he seems to be an easy projection to “eventual starter.” An excellent pick for Year 3, and probably someone who will perform solidly in Year 2, but unlikely to shine as a rookie because grown NFL professionals will beat him with power, especially once they have enough film to start figuring him out. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile calls the athletic traits “average” but admires his ability to adapt. The biggest concerns seem to be lack of coordination between his hands and feet, and a “below average agility to recover when beaten.” Josh Carney’s gif-supported Depot scouting report sees “an eraser on the edge in pass protection… [but a] concern in the run game.” |
| 2:12 | T/G/C Cody Mauch, N. Dak. St. (Senior). 6’5”, 302 lbs. with very short 32⅜” arms and 9¾” hands. Turned 24 in January. A good college Tackle who would fit better in the NFL as an IOL because of both his issues (short arms) and his assets (mobility, skill at reaching defenders on the second level, sound pass protection technique, effortless lateral mobility, white-hot motor, and very impressive aggression in run blocking). Yes, that is quite a list of assets! Kevin Colbert would have frowned hard about the small-school background, but that is one of the assumptions that Omar Khan and Andy Weidl may upend. Began his college career as a 221 lb. Tight End. A real character with long red hair, missing front teeth, and a Brett Keisel beard, Mauch would quickly become a fan favorite. Came in at #45 overall on Daniel Jeremiah’s initial Top-50, and that grade would have only gone up with his Senior Bowl performance. This thorough December scouting profile from PFN reached a similar grade, emphasizing that Mauch is “an elite athlete on tape with a rare mix of corrective agility, explosiveness off the line, and range in space.” This goes to a Senior Bowl interview with Tyler Wise. His skill set seems to fit well with the movement-oriented duties of Pat Meyer’s blocking scheme even though he lacks the length that Meyer prefers. Chandler Stroud’s gif-supported Depot scouting report ends in a fringe-1st grade based on his “extremely hot motor” and “unheard of” flexibility, quickness, and versatility. Don’t go too far, however. Stroud also warns that good bull rushers have been known to get into his chest to take advantage of the short arms, and Mauch has an unfortunate tendency to end up on the ground. The NFL.com scouting profile by OL-coach’s son Lance Zierlein ends with a solid Round 2 grade, describing him as a “scheme-versatile tough guy” whose “inconsistent footwork in pass protection and below average arm length could foreshadow a move inside to guard.” This solid-looking February scouting profile from a Giants POV ends in a late-2nd to early-3rd grade. This February OL big board from Sports Illustrated lists Mauch with a Round 1 grade. This briefer scouting profile agrees with that grade. Here are two pre-Senior Bowl interviews, one from a Bears-oriented POV and the other a more general interview from TDN. |
| 2:12 | G O’Cyrus Torrence, Florida (Junior). [Mtg. at Visit] 6’5⅜”, 330 lbs. (down from 347 in college) with 33⅞” arms and huge 11¼” hands. Turned 23 in January. Very solid at the Senior Bowl. Imagine a really good NT in reverse: he prevents any bulge in the middle when they attack you and creates a bulge when you attack them. That’s what you get with Torrence, a two trick pony who is good at both. An enormous man with gigantic breadth, he fires off well and plays nasty, which makes him a people mover par excellence, but has limited range for pulling and other movement-oriented jobs. (Could he lose 20 pounds and get quicker?) Has a tremendous anchor to keep the middle of the pocket solid, though he can sometimes be outquicked by DTs with exceptional agility. The descriptions remind you of Nate Herbig and Kevin Dotson when things are clicking. May have issues with the movement-oriented duties of Pat Meyer’s blocking scheme. Jonathan Heitritter’s gif-supported Depot scouting report ends with a fringe-1st grade and what looks like an apt comparison to Larry Warford, a Round 3 pick who was similarly huge, with similar assets when it came to moving people, and limitations when it came to working in space. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile ends with a similar grade, seeing “a future starter for downhill offenses who covet size over athleticism.” Had an odd Combine yielding a 60th-percentile athletic profile, with basically average movement skills that were better than many people feared. |
| 2:12 | C/G Joe Tippmann, Wisconsin (RS Junior) [Mtg. at Combine]. 6’6”, 313 lbs. with 32¾” arms and 9¾” hands. Turns 22 on March 24. Converted from DL to OL in 2020. The TDN scouting profile describes him as follows: “Tippmann projects as a day-one starting center for multiple NFL offenses and schemes. Tippmann is a scheme-versatile blocker that impresses on both running and passing plays.” And then it somehow ends with a Round 3 grade. Huh? Has played both Guard and Center, earning the consistent description of a “mauler” at every stop. Also gets points for the “iron sharpens iron” practice opponent right across from Keeanu Benton. Came in at #22 on Daniel Jeremiah’s initial Top-50 list, which made him the clear IOL1 of the class. The NFL Draft Buzz scouting profile adds that Tippmann was the #28 Feldman Freak based on, “a terrific combination of strength (635-pound back squat and 455-pound bench) and athleticism, clocking a 4.31 pro agility time and a 1.65 10-yard split, which would’ve been faster than any O-lineman at the [2022] NFL combine.” Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile compares Tippmann to the Packers’ good young Center Josh Myers, who was picked at 2:62. “Tippmann’s size, strength, smarts and athleticism should help him become a starter in the NFL.” Jon Heitritter’s gif-supported Depot scouting report also ends with a comp to Myers, concluding that Tippman “can play in a variety of blocking schemes, being able to pull, reach block, climb to the second level, work out in space, but also go straight ahead into Nose Tackles.” Me like. More critical evaluations point to some balance concerns and complaints that he doesn’t maintain his blocks as well as he should. Hand placement could use work — he has a habit of dipping his head before making contact when he’s on the chase in open space — and he needs to be more consistent getting off the ball, but those are common issues for college players, and he’s also unusually young. |
| 2:12 | WR Jalin Hyatt, Tennessee (Junior) [Mtg. at Combine]. 6’0⅛”, 176 lbs. with 32½” arms and 9” hands. Turns 22 in September. A certified deep threat with speed, twitch, hands, and the ability to make acrobatic catches. Easy top 5% athlete. Won the Biletnikoff Award in 2022, and came in as the clear (albeit boom or bust) WR1 in Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile (down to #36 overall in the March version 3.0). Zierlein’s comp was DeSean Jackson, which is always the dream for these ultra-thin, ultra-fast, big play deep threats. Hyatt looks like a twig waiting to be snapped, and hasn’t played in a system that would allow his physicality to be challenged, but there aren’t many field stretchers this dangerous. Not a bad route runner for a college WR. Came in at #23 overall on Daniel Jeremiah’s initial Top-50 list. The gif-supported Depot scouting report by Tom Mead ends in a Round 2-3 grade based on the speed, hands, and overall skill level, offset by his very slight build, the accompanying lack of play strength, and technique deficits like rounding off too many routes. Tom also offers an interesting double-comp: John Brown on the low end, and Tyler Lockett on the high end. |
| 2:18 | STEELERS ROUND 2 PICK (# 49 OVERALL) |
| 2:24 | DT Mazi Smith, Michigan (Senior). 6’3”, 323 lbs. with 33¾” arms and 9¾” hands. Turns 22 in June. The #1 entry on Bruce Feldman’s 2022 Athletic Freaks list, Mazi Smith played 0- and 1-tech in college, but questions exist about whether he can do it in the pros. There’s no doubt that he’s built like a brick wall, strong as a bear, and can move in ways a man his size should not. The issues are (1) arms of moderate length, (2) reflexes off the snap that can be a full beat or two behind everyone else, and (3) whatever lingering smoke you want to find in a gun-permit issue last fall that got pled out to a misdemeanor. Ross McCorkle’s gif-supported Depot scouting report (Round 2 grade) ends in a comparison to Dontari Poe for someone who projects to be a solid, high floor NT with potential to really improve if he can learn to get off the ball in a timely way with his pads down where they belong. That slow get off is the thing that limits his pass rushing chops. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile also sees a lot of Dontari Poe, concluding “Smith’s size and testing could give his draft slotting some juice but he’s more of a Day 2 talent with exciting upside than a plug-and-play starter.” Zierlein also notes some problems keeping up with an outside zone attack, endurance issues, and a “surprising lack of anchor consistency against double teams.” Note that several sources have emphasized both Mazi’s vast untapped potential, and the fact that he seems to glory in being ‘that guy who does the dirty work for all his teammates.’ Those two facets definitely add to the ceiling and the floor from my POV. Came in at #39 overall in Daniel Jeremiah’s March top-50 list. |
| 2:24 | ILB Daiyan Henley, Wash. St. (Senior). 6’0⅞”, 225 lbs. with 33” arms and 9½” hands. 23. Turns 24 in November. A WR turned ILB? Yep. Henley is a physical specimen with all the below-neck assets you want for his position. He is held back by a serious need to learn the position and a lack of edge in his overall demeanor. Should be a killer on special teams while he learns his craft. Looked particularly good in coverage duties at the Senior Bowl, and at the Combine opened a lot of eyes to how athletic he really is, and how broad that athletic base runs. He’s serious about martial arts, has even returned kicks, and excelled in other sports too. The wiring is there. Period. It adds up to a top-89th percentile RAS score despite the drag of very poor height. This goes to a Senior Bowl interview with Jonathan Heitritter. Jon’s gif-supported Depot scouting report follows up with a Round 4 grade, citing lack of physicality and stop-’em-dead tackling as the main offset against Henley’s admirable coverage skills, range, and burst. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile had to be updated after the Combine to make note of the athletic talents, while still emphasizing the recognition delays that will hold him back. |
| 2:24 | CB Kyu Blu Kelly, Stanford (Senior). 6’0”, 191 lbs. with 32” arms and 9¾” hands. Turns 22 in May. Son of CB Brian Kelly, an Interceptor Supreme who won a Super Bowl in 2003 with Tampa Bay when Mike Tomlin was his Defensive Backs Coach. The son is a smooth, sticky, press-man specialist with four years of starting experience and a very professional approach to the game. Good hands and fiercely competitive once the ball is in the air but may be vulnerable to exceptional speed or twitch, both of which are abundant in the NFL. (Jordan Addison won big and ugly in their competition). This goes to the TDN scouting profile, which says he is much better in press than zone or off man. Had a tremendous Senior Bowl week. Tyler Wise’s gif-supported Depot scouting report describes Kelly as a very skilled prospect with good speed and athleticism, who prefers press coverage, feels uncomfortable in off, and plays well in zone but with mistakes based on triggering too hard. It ends with a Round 4 grade based on poor play in run support, and those question marks in zone and off-man coverage schemes. This top-quality, Giants-oriented S.I. scouting profile grades him out as a Round 2 talent. Here is a pre-Senior Bowl interview worth reading because of what it shows about his thought process. This February scouting profile ends in a Round 4 grade due to concerns about tackling and possible limitations to man coverage only. This Vikings-oriented pre-Senior Bowl scouting profile calls him a solid CB2 to be picked on Day 2. This Bucs-oriented scouting profile agrees that he is a press-man specialist with a Round 2 grade. |
| 2:24 | CB Darius Rush, S. Car. (Senior) [Mtg. at Combine]. 6’2”, 198 lbs. with 33⅜” arms and 9½” hands. Turned 23 in February. A WR turned CB who is still learning his new craft, and already looks awfully good. A top 3% athletic profile without any agility testing. Very impressive at the Senior Bowl, where he showed better technique and athleticism than expected, recorded the fastest GPS time by a generous margin (21.6 mph!), and played Steady Eddie ball. The converted WR really understands route concepts and what the offense is trying to do to him. Played opposite Cam Smith, this year’s technical wizard at Corner. This goes to a Senior Bowl interview with Jonathan Heitritter, who describes Rush as an energy bringer who also takes pride in his special-teams ability. This good-looking February scouting profile describes him as a tough, physical, and competitive player who also has some Safety experience, but ends in a Round 5-6 grade based on how new he is to the position, and also some questions about whether he can handle quick NFL receivers. Alex Kozora’s gif-supported Depot scouting report (Round 2 grade) sums him up as an “interesting prospect who is an ‘A’ athlete.” |
| 2:24 | CB Terell Smith, Minnesota (Senior) [Mtg. at Combine]. 6’0½”, 204 lbs. with 32⅞” arms and 9” hands. Turns 24 in September. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile describes Smith as “an ascending cornerback with an outstanding combination of size, speed and toughness, [with] game film [that] improved from 2021 to 2022, [a good] backpedal, [and] above-average footwork for a cornerback his size.” He’s also described as a reliable and aggressive tackler. In other words, Mr. Traits. Something of a one-year wonder, without the proven hands and statistical production you want. The Sports Illustrated scouting profile (Round 6 grade) loves the size, length, and long speed but detects some COD issues. |
| 2:24 | CB DJ Turner, Michigan (Senior). 5’11¼”, 178 lbs. with 30¾” arms and 9⅝” hands. 22, turns 23 in November. Long, smooth, quick, and very, very fast (4.26!), which combined to earn him a top 5% athletic profile. He’s also technically sound. The grade would be a solid half round higher if he had the frame to stick his nose into the run support fan. Showed flashes of real dominance as a pure coverage player, even against all-star WR/QB combinations he faced against Ohio State in 2021 and 2022. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile is darned close to a rave review, using phrases like “explosive athlete with rare speed and change-of-direction quickness,” “graceful with his mirror and match movements,” and “plenty feisty when challenging throws or hitting receivers after the catch.” The concerns go to whether Turner has the pure size to avoid getting big-boyed in bad matchups, and in run support of course. Tom Mead’s gif-supported Depot scouting report adds some gristle to go with the meat. He argues that Turner does indeed have fringe-1st coverage skill, with multiple techniques and legit ultra-speed, but worries about whether Turner’s lack of physicality is only due to his size. Does he also lack some “wanna” when it comes to tackling? |
| 2:24 | CB Rejzohn Wright, Oregon St. (RS Senior). 6’2”, 193 lbs. with 32½” arms and 9⅝” hands. Turns 23 in September. Solid in press coverage but needs work in zone and off. Owen Straley’s gif-supported Depot scouting report describes “a unique combination of size, physicality, football IQ, and desire to get involved in the run game,” and “early day 2 upside.” The profile ends in a Round 2 grade that is significantly higher than many other scouting reports. The Sports Illustrated scouting profile (Round 4 grade) sees the same potential, but less realized physicality and prowess in run support. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile should get your antennae buzzing because he heaps special praise on Wright’s agility to mirror, which is usually the stumbling block for men this size. |
| 2:24 | C/G Ricky Stromberg, Arkansas (Senior) [Mtg. at Combine]. 6’4”, 313 lbs. with 33⅛” arms and 9⅝” hands. Turns 23 in November. A powerful player with excellent size and an anchor to match, but average athleticism and foot speed when measured on an NFL scale. Chandler Stroud’s gif-supported Depot scouting report describes a “smart, athletic center who moves really well [and excels] in both pass protection and the run game… Impressive and technically sound… he does the small things well.” The player comp is no less than Jason Kelce because “they are both guys that move bodies off the line of scrimmage, are cerebral assassins, and climb to the next level really well.” Wow. The TDN scouting profile is nowhere near that complimentary, saying “he’s capable of pretty high-level reps” and holds up “fairly well when tested with power,” but also got regularly beat by the array of Round 1 talent who tested him with extra-special size and/or quickness. This long PFN scouting profile ends in a Day 2 (Round 2-3) grade, and contains some fairly detailed analysis. The NFL.com scouting profile by OL coach’s son Lance Zierlein calls him a “potential starter” despite some waist bending issues. Here is an interview with Alex Kozora. |
| 2:24 | TE Dalton Kincaid, Utah (Senior). 6’3⅝”, 246 lbs. with 32⅝” arms and 10¼” hands. Turns 24 in October. The sort of player you like to root for because he seeks out ways to put his face in the fan. Came in at an astonishing #9 overall on Daniel Jeremiah’s initial Top-50 list, based on “exceptional quickness, route polish and run-after-catch ability” that led DJ to describe him as “a more explosive version of Zach Ertz coming out of college.” Has proper TE hands, and genuine “wanna” as a blocker, but with very suspect size when it comes to fighting off NFL athletes. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile calls him a Round 1 “move tight end whose premium talent as a pass-catcher will be the primary focus for evaluators,” and who does that job well enough to earn a comparison to Zach Ertz if he can carry on as expected at the next level. “Impeccable ball skills and sticky hands… [but] a liability as a run blocker.” |
| 2:24 | TE Tucker Kraft, S. Dakota St. (Junior). 6’4¾”, 254 lbs. with 32¾” arms and 10” hands. Turns 23 in November. An athletic TE (top 4-5% for the position) who likes to block and does it well. It’s a formula that’s worked many times before. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile describes Kraft as a “Day 2 talent [who] should see the field early with a chance to become a TE1.” |
| 2:24 | RB Bijan Robinson, Texas (Senior). 5’11”, 215 lbs. with 31⅜” arms and 9¾” hands. Turned 21 in January. Here is the dilemma: people on this very site have compared Bijan to a generational talent like Saquon Barkley, who quite rightly got picked in the Top 5 of the 2018 draft. But RB is probably the strongest single room on the team, if you account for the lack of depth at OLB. Thus the entirely stupid question about what would happen in an impossible case. This is my ridiculous grade for that absurdly silly question. Argue about it with yourself, not with me. Came in as the #4 overall player in Daniel Jeremiah’s initial Top-50 list. |
| 2:24 | WR Cedric Tillman, Tennessee (RS Senior). 6’3⅜”, 213 lbs. with 32¾” arms and 10” hands. Turns 23 right before the draft. Projected to be a Round 1 lock after his breakout 2021 season but an ankle injury hobbled him for most of 2022. The situation rings a George Pickens kind of bell, doesn’t it? Put up a top 5% athletic profile at the Combine, without agility tests that will probably pull him down. Except the comp wouldn’t be Pickens so much as a player like Tee Higgins or Michael Pittman Jr., according to Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile, where Tillman came in as the WR4, one spot ahead of Jordan Addison. Tillman is big and tall, with great hands, very good long speed, and surprisingly good brakes when he wants to break off a route. That said, he creates separation by being bigger, stronger, taller, and tougher than opposing CBs, and won’t be one to win just on agility. Good at RAC. NFL bloodlines, with a father who played WR for 4 years in Denver. Tom Mead’s gif-supported Depot scouting report sees him as a promising WR2/3, which earns a Round 3 grade. This goes to the TDN scouting profile, which ends with a Round 3 grade. |
| 3:01 | NT/DT Keeanu Benton, Wisconsin (Senior) [Mtg. at Senior Bowl]. 6’3¾”, 309 lbs. with 33⅞” arms and 9¾.” Turns 22 in July. A national level wrestler in addition to football. Benton ain’t goin’ nowhere that he don’t wanna go, even on double teams. And don’t be surprised when he tosses some poor Center a few yards back with sheer, brute strength. Also gets points as the “iron sharpens iron” practice opponent right across from Joe Tippmann. The college film showed little in the way of pass-rush ability. His Day 1 performance at the Senior Bowl suggests that he’s been learning, though his declining results on Day 2 and 3 brought the expectations back to earth. Definitely on the Steelers radar, which Mike Tomlin specifically told him according to this Senior Bowl interview with Jonathan Heitritter. Alex Kozora identified Benton as a “perfect fit” for Pittsburgh in this January video. Kozora’s follow-up scouting report pretty well nails the summary: a solid, run-stuffing piece of the puzzle who will not hurt the team on passing downs, but isn’t likely to be a major help either. |
| 3:01 | Mack ILB Owen Pappoe, Auburn (Senior). 6’0¼”, 225 lbs. with 31¾” arms and 9⅛” hands. Turns 23 in September. Vince Williams’ favorite ILB of the class is a two-year team captain and on-field QB, his speed, coverage skills, and football IQ are all excellent. His overall athleticism is flat out superb: top 10%, with ‘elite’ scores in everything but his ‘very poor’ size. But he’s never learned to get off OL blocks, may simply lack the strength to get that done, and projects as someone who will live or die according to the ability of his DL to keep him clean. One might compare him to the player Devin Bush turned out to be, rather than what Bush was drafted to be. Has failed to show good instincts on tape, and it is hard for us to guess if that can be taught. Chandler Stroud’s gif-supported Depot scouting report (Round 3 grade), uses Mark Barron as the comp, emphasizing that Pappoe has a true ILB’s mindset about the game, but is just that little bit too small to physically impose his will on bigger opponents. |
| 3:01 | S Jordan Battle, Alabama (Senior) [Mtg. at Combine]. 6’1”, 209 lbs. with 32” arms and 8½” hands. Will turn 23 his rookie season. A ball-hawking Safety who can succeed at any task, from run support to single-high. Alex Kozora’s gif-supported Depot scouting report ends with a strong Round 3 grade based on a very high ceiling offset by uncertainty in his own reads, which can cause both delay in starting and a little hesitation in finishing. The sort of player who’d be SAF1 on a weak defense, and SAF2 on a really good one. This goes to Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile. Combine testing (size and dash only) suggested a top 20% athletic profile. |
| 3:01 | CB Tre’vius Hodges-Tomlinson, TCU (Senior). 5’8”, 178 lbs. with 29” arms and 8⅝” hands. Turned 23 in January. Every year there’s one or two CBs where you say, “This kid would be CB1 if he was only 5 inches taller and 40 pounds bigger.” This year’s entry is THT. Ultra-quick and ultra-aggressive, but also extremely undersized. Owen Staley’s gif-supported Depot scouting report ends in a Round 3 grade, saying “If Cam Sutton is indeed re-signed, [TVHT] could serve as an every-down Nickel in Pittsburgh, capable of playing the run and blitzing on early downs, while providing effective man coverage that the team lacks.” His comp is none other than Mike Hilton. |
| 3:01 | CB/S Jay Ward, LSU (Senior). 6’0¾”, 188 lbs. with 32½” arms and small 8¼” hands. Turns 23 in July. A hybrid Nickel DB who stands on the line between slot-CB and undersized, cover-capable Safety. A tough kid who gets high marks for football character. Plays bigger than he is but can’t always cash the check, and could stand having better strength and tackling technique. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile offers the following summary: “Ward has good size and length for a nickel cornerback, but he lacks a little thickness as a safety. He can be counted on to do his job in run support from the slot and has adequate coverage talent… will make plays when he’s in position to do so but doesn’t have the route anticipation needed for strong on-ball production just yet.” |
| 3:01 | T/G Matthew Bergeron, Syracuse (Senior). 6’4⅞”, 323 lbs. with 33⅝” arms and 9½” hands. Turned 23 in February. A four-year starter on both the left and right sides, he is a fine mover and good technician who will benefit a lot from NFL strength training and from coaching on all the subtleties of the position. Originally from Quebec. Has played both RT and LT. One of the best performers at the Senior Bowl, where he was nice and steady, proving that he could mirror anyone there, and also looking good when moved inside to Guard. This goes to a TDN Senior Bowl interview. Jonathan Heitritter’s gif-supported Depot scouting report sees a Round 4 talent comparable to Dan Moore Jr. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile is much more positive, seeing Bergeron as a Round 2 “eventual plus starter” more comparable to Joel Bitonio.”He’s a dynamic run blocker, able to excel in all three phases (positioning, sustain and finish). He’s just as capable of climbing and tagging second-level linebackers as he is at opening run lanes at the point of attack with leg drive. He’s athletic enough to play tackle, but inconsistent anchor and hand placement could cause concern.” |
| 3:01 | G/C Steve Avila, TCU (RS Senior). 6’3½”, 332 lbs. with short 33” arms and 9¼” hands. Turns 24 in October. Team captain. Played Guard in 2022, has right/left versatility, and is equally competent at Center. A particularly good inside zone blocker, and equally good in gap/power, but outside zone is not his game. Mess with this young man in a phone booth and it could get ugly. Get him on the move and he’s much easier to deal with. Came in at #36 in Daniel Jeremiah’s initial Top-50 list. This goes to a Senior Bowl interview with Ross McCorkle. Seems to fit well with the movement-oriented protection duties of Pat Meyer’s blocking scheme, but Ross McCorkle’s gif-supported Depot scouting report (Round 3 grade) expresses serious concerns about Avila’s ability to pull and/or catch players out in space. “Lumbering” is a kind word for some of those gifs, though it must be said that other scouting reports do not show that as a pattern. The NFL.com scouting profile from Lance Zierlein uses Chris Kemoeatu as the player comp, concluding that “Avila is likely to start right away as a Day 2 draft pick and should have a solid NFL career as either a guard or center.” |
| 3:01 | G/C Emil Ekiyor Jr., Alabama (RS Senior). 6’2”, 314 lbs. with 33⅞” arms and 9½” hands. Turned 23 in January. Excellent experience at Guard in a very well coached unit against top opposition, played Center when Najee Harris was the RB1 at Alabama, and also played a lot of Center in the Senior Bowl practices, where he looked quite good. Excellent power, agility, and burst along with excellent mobility to pull and to reach second-level defenders. Smart and nasty. Extremely aggressive to the point where he can get over his feet and lose his balance. Could use some extra strength. The TDN scouting profile ends in a Round 2 grade. Michael Rochman’s gif-supported Depot scouting report ends in a Round 4 grade, describing Ekiyor as a solid gap/power IOL who’s got nice mobility (though he plays better in a phone booth), with the assets offset by a need to build some strength and make the normal jump from college to professional technique. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile has something more like a Round 3 grade, describing him as “smart and sound” but potentially vulnerable to pure, upper-NFL levels of size and power. |
| 3:01 | QB Jaren Hall, BYU (Junior). 6’0”, 207 lbs. with 9½” hands. Turns 25 on March 24. Has all the arm you want short of a Josh Allen, long-range cannon, accuracy, touch, velocity, arm angles, etc. A fine overall athlete too. The big issues are his average size and his age. Plus learning the NFL game, of course |
| 3:01 | QB Cameron Ward, Wash. St. (RS Soph.). 6’2”, 220 lbs. Will be a 21-year-old rookie. Has that whip-action throwing motion that generates shocking velocity, which survives even when he’s on the move. Top-notch athlete too. The issues? He’s now played one year in an Air Raid offense, with two years before that in junior college. Lots of potential but he is way behind the curve on the football IQ front. |
| 3:01 | TE Davis Allen, Clemson (Senior). 6’5⅞”, 245 lbs. with 32¼” arms and 10” hands. Turned 22 in February. A solid receiving TE and equally solid run blocker with wonderful hands and the ability to make over the rim combat catches, while also screening the ball with his body in the midfield. A good, all-around prospect — but does he have a superpower to fall back on besides those hands? Tested as a top 12-13% athlete with very good burst (10 yard split and leaps) but limited long speed. Came in at #50 in Daniel Jeremiah’s initial Top-50 list. The TDN scouting profile ends in a Round 5 grade because of questions about his top-end speed and COD ability, and his lack of ability as a true, inline run blocker. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile awards something more like an early-3rd, calling Allen “a human vacuum [who uses] instinctive body positioning, mid-air adjustments and exceptional catch focus for consistent 50/50 wins.” The blocking is solid and will get better after a year or two in an NFL training regimen. |
| 3:01 | WR Kayshon Boutte, LSU (Junior). 5’11¼”, 195 lbs. with 30⅜” arms and 9½” hands. Will be a 21-year-old rookie. Tough and physical with fine hands (except when they’re not), good speed that includes an extra gear when he needs it, and good COD. This May, 2022 PFN scouting profile should give you an idea of how things looked after the 2021 season. “The excitement over Boutte’s scouting report begins with his athletic magnificence.” But 2021 was better than 2022, when he still flashed but opponents were able to remove him from certain games. Would he at least test like an athletic marvel at the Combine? Nope. He ended up looking below average at the Combine (47th percentile) on a field where everyone else looked surprisingly good. Plays bigger than he is, which has caused some injuries and raises concerns that they will continue. Drops have been an occasional issue. This goes to the NFL.com scouting profile. |
| 3:01 | WR Josh Downs, UNC (Junior). 5’9”, 171 lbs. with 30⅜” arms and 9¼” hands. Turns 22 in August. Downs is extremely quick and shifty, quite fast, and possesses that knack for playing bigger than he is; but that last doesn’t say too much given his genuine lack of size. Tested as a 77th percentile athlete overall, but that was after the massive adjustment for his 0.80% size. The real point is simpler: he gets open, makes difficult catches (with occasional focus drops), and can turn short crossers into big gains. Consistent, high-level production from a classic, agility-oriented slot receiver. The issues have to do with his size. Jonathan Heitritter’s gif-supported Depot scouting profile notes that he avoided bump-and-run coverage in college, suggesting that he really is vulnerable to getting big-boyed by larger opponents. Came in as the WR2 in Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile, which describes him as a “free-flowing athlete with dynamic footwork and an instinctive feel for how to elude opponents.” |
| 3:01 | WR Zay Flowers, Bost. Coll. (Senior) [Mtg. at Combine]. 5’9¼”, 182 lbs. with 29½” arms and 9½” hands. Turns 23 in September. Discounted here because this skill set is already on the team. Almost a stereotype of the small, shifty, high-octane WR who gets open with sharp, turn-on-a-dime route running, and decent but not great speed. Might be compared to a smaller, poor man’s version of Diontae Johnson, though Alex Kozora’s gif-supported Depot scouting report (Round 3 grade) preferred the Bears’ Darnell Mooney as the comp. Note that Pittsburgh will have some extra insight on Flowers, since he’s a teammate of fellow WR Dino Tomlin. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile ends in a Round 2 grade despite the size concerns and worries about dropped passes. Tested with 2% size and 90th% speed, yielding an overall to 25% average. |
| 3:01 | WR Marvin Mims, Oklahoma (Junior). 5’10⅞”, 183 lbs. with 31⅝” arms and 9” hands. Just turned 21. A somewhat undersized receiver who would grade higher if his route running, speed, and shiftiness matched his amazing hands and body control. Wins as a deep threat but it tends to be in combat catch situations more than you’d like from someone his size. A somewhat limited athlete on the NFL scale, but a winner who “plays much bigger than his size suggests” according to the gif-supported Depot scouting report by Jonathan Heitritter. Unbelievably good production, and his success as a punt returner supports the idea of hidden assets that adds up in actual play. Has the knack of finding soft spots in a defense. A willing and capable blocker despite his size limitations. Performed exceptionally well at the Combine in both drills and measurables, putting up a top 9% athletic score headlined by a 4.38 dash that showed excellent burst and even better long speed. |
| 3:01 | WR Jonathan Mingo, Ole Miss (Senior). 6’1¾”, 220 lbs. with 32⅛” arms and 10⅜” hands. Turns 22 in April. A solid Big Slot option who looked like he was only a bully-boy possession receiver in college and then sent everyone back to the tape with an awesome top 1% athletic profile at the Combine. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile ends with what looks like a Round 3 grade. Ross McCorkle’s gif-supported Depot scouting profile also ends in a Round 3 grade, noting that Mingo suffered through poor QB play in 2022. |
| 3:01 | WR Tyler Scott, Cincinnati (Junior). 5’10”, 177 lbs. with 30⅞” arms and 9” hands. A classic, undersized slot receiver with “electric top-end speed [and]… dynamic versatility” according to Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile. “Has the makings of an outstanding No. 2 receiver” according to the TDN scouting profile. Has a history of playing RB when younger, but lacked the mass and frame to do so in college — though the vision and general skill set remain. The February PFN scouting profile has some worthwhile and specific notes, like “explosive athlete who carries sudden burst out of cuts… short-area agility and body control to stop on a dime… elite hand-eye coordination… very reliable hands… [and] tracks the ball in the air with predator-like precision and effortlessly adjusts.” |
| 3:12 | DT/NT Zacch Pickens, S. Car. (Senior). 6’4”, 291 lbs. with 34⅜” arms and 10⅜” hands. Turned 23 earlier this month. A 5-star athlete who never quite arrived in college but bullied a lot of good Senior Bowl players around. The TDN scouting profile says he has very good penetration and wins regularly when that works, but loses his pad level when it fails. This contrarian Bleacher Report scouting profile sees a totally different player; a static run stuffer who cannot help on passing downs. The NFL Draft Buzz scouting profile is somewhere in between. This interview before the Senior Bowl gives some insight into the young man’s approach to the game. Here is a clip-supported scouting profile with good personal background. This brief but solid scouting profile sees a 0- to 3-tech NT who’d be good value early on Day 3. Solid as a run defender. Could be a genuine star if he gets the right coaching and takes to it, which would make him a 3-down guy. Should be a valuable role player anyway. Carries some extra weight that does him no good. This thorough February scouting profile is unimpressed, especially by his inconsistency, pad level issues, and issues handling double teams. Jonathan Heitritter’s gif-supported Depot scouting report likewise ends in a Day 3 grade. Pickens is a raw but gifted and powerful NT who also has some pass rush juice but is held back by a significant need to build some extra endurance while bringing his craft up to pro standards. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile (Round 2-3 grade) likes everything but the anchor. |
| 3:12 | EDGE Tavius Robinson, Ole Miss (Senior). 6’6⅛”, 257 lbs. with 33¾” arms and 9⅝” hands. Turned 24 in January. Originally from Ontario. A natural top 15% athlete with good burst, bend, and motor, plus length is almost special. Has room to add some good muscle, which would help because holding the edge is one of his weakest spots. Rushes better when he can put his hand in the dirt but has the natural athleticism to play standing up as well. A little on the older side for the youth-loving Steelers. The NFL.com scouting profile suggests that his best road might be to ad 15 pounds of good muscle to his frame, and then playing as a 4-3 DE. |
| 3:12 | LB DeMarvion Overshown, Texas (Senior) [Mtg. at Combine]. 6’2⅝”, 229 lbs. with 32¼” arms and 9½” hands. Turns 23 in August. Team captain. Fabulous, top 5% athlete even with the drag of his ‘very poor’ scores for size and bench-press strength. A former Safety who outgrew the position but is still better on the coverage side than he is in the downhill-tackling role. Has the speed and burst to be a sideline-to-sideline tackler and the attitude but the actual strength needs to improve. Good blitzer who stops a lot of running plays for TFLs or at the LOS. Still learning the position, which can make him a step slow. Gets a slight bump for unrealized potential. Lacks the size to stack and shed offensive linemen who make it to the second level. Jonathan Heitritter’s gif-supported Depot scouting report ends with a Round 3-4 grade based on the assets offset against the need for both added mass and strength. The NFL.com scouting profile suggests something more like a Round 4-5 grade based on physicality/strength issues. It does note “huge strides at the position from 2021 to 2022,” which makes it easier to project continued improvement. |
| 3:12 | SS Jammie (JAY-mee) Robinson, Fla. St. (RS Junior) [Mtg. at Combine]. 5’10⅝”, 191 lbs. with 29⅝” arms and 8¾” hands. Turned 22 in January. Assets: twitch, burst, pop, passion, instincts, tackling, overall athleticism, and versatility inside the box from undersized coverage-ILB out to SS. That’s a lot. But the weaknesses (hands, man coverage, and range) are also there, and he lacks a good bit of size. Late 1st if he was 3-5” taller and 15-25 lbs. heavier but he’s not. This goes to Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile. |
| 3:12 | CB Kei’trel Clark, Louisville (Junior). 5’10¼”, 181 lbs. with 29⅝” arms and 8¼” hands. Turns 22 before the draft. A smart, adept, and versatile CB who has moderate size and speed, and is better than that in all the other aspects of his game. Experienced in a variety of coverage schemes. This goes to a Shrine Bowl interview with Owen Straley. Here is Owen’s gif-supported Depot scouting report, which ends in a Round 3 grade. “Having the opportunity to interview him, it was abundantly clear that he was an extremely high-IQ player… [who is] capable of filling the team’s need for an every-down Nickel.” Note that Clark dominated the Shrine Bowl practices, earning universal praise. |
| 3:12 | CB Eli Ricks, Alabama by way of LSU (Junior) [Mtg. at Combine]. 6’2”, 188 lbs. with 32⅜” arms and 8⅞” hands. Turns 22 in September. He’s got the size. He’s got the length. He’s got the instincts. He’s got the hands. And he’s got the brains. But the athletic testing is going to be key, because at times he has looked a step slow or a twitch behind. Some of that can be attributed to irregular technique, like rising into his transitions, but we need to confirm how much is/might be physical. He has also battled injuries. A willing but not physical tackler. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile describes him as a press-man CB who is “often a step slow to find top gear when opening to run laterally or vertically, but a human blanket against short and intermediate routes without much wiggle to them.” Owen Straley’s gif-supported Depot scouting report deserves a careful read. “Turn on one of Eli Ricks best games and you’ll find yourself wondering why he isn’t being mentioned among the top corners in this year’s class. Turn on his worst game and you’ll find yourself wondering whether he has the coverage skills to survive at the next level.” |
| 3:12 | CB Garrett Williams, Syracuse (RS Junior). 5’10”, 192 lbs. with 31” arms and 9¼” hands. Turns 22 in June. [Significant injury discount for an October ACL] Williams is a fringe-1st talent when he has two good knees, but lacking just a bit of expertise/discipline in every part of his game. That’s enough to get him beat by WRs and QBs with exceptional craftiness, but it’s also a set of problems that should be fixable with hard work and good coaching. He was at 2:01 until I learned about the ACL, and Owen Straley’s gif-supported Depot scouting report could have moved him up. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile basically agrees, though he expresses some concern that Williams “is inconsistent playing with his back to the quarterback,” and could stand to have his long speed double-checked with a proper dash (which won’t happen because of the ACL). |
| 3:12 | G/T Henry Bainivalu, Wash. (Senior). 6’5¾”, 306 (down from 312 lbs. at the Senior Bowl and 340 in college) with 34” arms and 10¾” hands. Turns 25 as a rookie. Built like a classic Right Tackle, he’s already moved inside where he played like an experienced and savvy guard in 2022. Might have the ability to slide out, but that would be an unexpected bonus. Should be able to hit the ground running compared to younger and less experienced prospects. |
| 3:12 | G/T McClendon Curtis, UT-Chattanooga (Senior). 6’6”, 324 lbs. with awe-inspiring 35″ arms and 10¼” hands. Turns 24 in September. Cole Strange came out of Chattanooga last year and did quite well. This year it’s Curtis. One suspects there is a coach down there who’s got an NFL future. In any case, Curtis is a big boy with big-boy power, good balance, and adequate but not special mobility. Probably limited to playing Guard, though he did so well at the Senior Bowl that some now think he can stick at Tackle. There’s reps of him manhandling just about every iDL at the event, including fan favorite Keeanu Benton. It is hard to find better raw traits. |
| 3:12 | TE Zack Kuntz, Old Dominion (RS Senior). 6’7⅜”, 255 lbs. with 34” arms and 10¼” hands. 23, turns 24 in June. A Pennsylvania kid from Harrisburg, and supposedly a good friend of Pat Freiermuth, Kuntz started his career at Penn State but couldn’t earn his way onto the field. He then followed along for a graduate year when his OC got a head coaching gig, and it turned out to be the best thing he could have done. The 2022 results were miles better than he’d had in the years before. Just as tall as Zack Gentry but vastly more athletic (10.00 vs. 2.55), Kuntz is quite likely to be a red zone and move-the-chains terror, but even more likely to be a blocking liability for at least the next few years. This is one of the rare young men who earned a perfect 10.00 RAS score at the Combine as the single most athletic TE prospect measured from 1987 to date, according to the RAS website (click on TE as the position with no date). “Plays more like a big receiver than a Tight End” according to Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile. Here is a good scouting profile from the end of January, which makes it that much more reliable than the sudden spurt after his show at the Combine. The Sports Illustrated scouting profile adds that he “won the State Class AA Championship in the 110-meter hurdles in 2017; claimed district titles in the 110-meter hurdles and 300-meter hurdles three times each. Was a member of the National Honor Society and four-time distinguished scholar.” Jonathan Heitritter’s gif-supported Depot scouting report ends in a Round 3 grade and a comparison to Mike Gesicki as a good receiver who “isn’t known for being a good blocker, but [] at least has shown the desire and has room to improve his technique.” Steelers fans should view him more as a huge, very physical big-slot WR with only adequate speed, at least for the start of his career. There is certainly room on the team for that profile. |
| 3:12 | TE Sam LaPorta, Iowa (Senior) [Mtg. at Combine]. 6’3¼” 245 lbs. with 32⅛” arms and 10¼” hands. Turned 22 in January. A fiery tough guy with an unending motor, he loves to block (with moderate but real success) and has good but criminally underused receiving skills because of how Iowa’s offense worked. Runs good routes with secure TE hands. Did himself a lot of good by putting up a top 8% athletic profile great in every area but size. Came in at #36 in Daniel Jeremiah’s initial Top-50 list. The TDN scouting profile (Round 3 grade) notes that he was Iowa’s offensive MVP (amazing for a Tight End), but worries about his ability to hold up against pure power, and also the number of combat catches he has failed to make (you want TEs to win 80% of the 50/50 balls, and he only wins his proportionate 50%). Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile ends with something more like a Round 4 grade over a set of concerns you could characterize as ‘lack of the desired physicality and aggression.’ Jonathan Heitritter’s gif-supported Depot scouting report sees a Day 3 player who would have more value in a different year, serving as an athletic move TE who can create after the catch while still contributing as a size-limited but capable blocker. |
| 3:12 | WR Andrei Iosivas (“yo-shee-vas”), Princeton (Senior). 6’3⅛”, 205 lbs. with 32” arms and 8¾” hands. Turns 24 in October. It’s become fashionable to use last year’s small-school sensation Christian Watson as the player comp, and it makes some sense. Similar size, incredible top 1% athletic talent, good hands, small-school question marks, etc. The TDN scouting profile ends in a Round 2 grade, with the LOC as by far the biggest concern. The NFL.com scouting profile ends in something like a fringe 3-4 grade based on the ridiculous athleticism, though offset by the really poor technique. |
| 3:12 | WR Rashee Rice, SMU (Senior). 6’1”, 204 lbs. with 32¾” arms and 9½” hands. Turns 23 in April. Big, tall, shifty, and physical in the receiving game and in run support. The drawbacks? SMU is not what you’d call a pro-style offense, which limits the technique evaluation, and he’s occasionally shown signs of the dropsies. Focus, discipline, and other above-the-neck question marks seem to be central in almost every evaluation. Elite explosion numbers with average speed and size pushed him up to a top 5% athletic profile. Jacob Harrison’s gif-supported Depot scouting report (Round 2 grade) employs words like “sturdy” and “tough” but expresses concern about his skill at making contested catches in traffic, when punishment may be lurking. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile is much harsher, ending with something more like a Round 4 grade, and a description as a “Talented but enigmatic receiver with game tape that shows a [maddening] lack of consistency… In one game you might see terrific ball-tracking and jump-ball victories followed by frustrating drops and a lack of physicality in fighting back on contested catches.” |
| 3:12 | WR Dontayvion Wicks, Virginia (Senior). 6’1⅜”, 206 lbs. with 32⅜” arms and 10” hands. Will be a 22 year-old-rookie. A tremendously explosive athlete who can get deep, twist in the air, make circus catches, and fight through DBs for tough catches but also had way too many inexplicable (focus?) drops. His poor long speed pulled him down to a top 25% athletic profile overall. The NFL.com scouting profile suggests that the dropsies issue may have gotten into his head. Plays tough in addition to fast. Has the talent to run incredibly sharp routes, which will pair with his sneaky burst and stride changes to help get him open, even in the NFL. But he hasn’t achieved the technical skills to do it reliably. Looked excellent at the Senior Bowl. |
| 3:12 | WR Michael Wilson, Stanford (Senior). 6’1⅞”, 213 lbs. with 31” arms and 9¾” hands. Turned 23 in February. Tore up the Senior Bowl with his impressive combination of size, route running, and hands. A multi-year team captain, Wilson film is scarce because he’s been so snakebit on the injury front, including wacky things such as a broken foot that he re-broke the day after he was cleared to go back to work. A Combine winner, excellent size and explosion scores that led to a top 7% athletic profile. The NFL.com scouting profile ends in a Round 3-5 grade, saying “Wilson plays to his top speed at all times, but he needs to become a more efficient route runner… The ball skills are a little below average, but he’s a cantankerous run blocker and has the potential to become a very good gunner on special teams.” Sounds very Miles Boykinesque with the potential to be a better position player. |
| 3:17 | STEELERS ROUND 3 PICK (# 80 OVERALL) |
| 3:24 | DT Calijah Kancey, Pitt (Junior). 6’1”, 281 lbs. with 30⅝”arms and 9⅛” hands. Turned 22 in March. [Discounted by 2 full rounds due to lack of fit.] Once there was a DL from Pitt with extraordinary burst, quickness, and the ability to slide between offensive linemen like a ghost. His name was Aaron Donald, and he did okay in the NFL. Enter Version #2, except an inch shorter, 5 pounds lighter, and lacking Donald’s freakish level of country strength. So is Kancey a great college player in search of an NFL position, like star DT-turned-Fullback Rosie Nix? An undersized DT who wouldn’t fit the Steelers’ system and needs? Or is he really special enough to follow in AD’s enormous footsteps? Jonathan Heitritter’s gif-supported scouting report suggests that Kancey’s best fit may be with a team that can use him as a situational pass rusher who can work from the inside out to the edge. The clips show absolutely absurd lateral quickness with pro-level technique, but also confirm the size problem. The grade would be a little higher on this board if Pittsburgh had not in 2022 selected DeMarvin Leal, whose skillset as an undersized, pass-rush capable DT sounds a bit too similar. If you’ll forgive a really strained analogy, they slice the meat in different ways, but end up with similar meals. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile describes a unique sort of talent who will be best utilized as a rotational, interior pass rusher, sort of like a NT in reverse. A potential Round 1 talent for the perfect situation; late 3rd for the wrong one, such as Pittsburgh’s. Came in at #26 overall on Daniel Jeremiah’s March top-50 list. |
| 3:24 | DL Byron Young, Alabama (Senior). 6’3”, 294 lbs. with exceptional 34⅜” arms and huge 11” hands. Turns 23 in November. [Not to be confused with EDGE Byron Young from Tennessee]. Shorter than Pittsburgh’s ideal, but exceptionally long arms put him right back on the board. Excellent experience playing every spot on the DL from 0- to 5-tech. Well-trained for a college player, but there is still plenty of room to improve. The main issue is just-okay athleticism. Jonathan Heitritter’s gif-supported Depot scouting report ends with a Round 3 grade, describing Young as high floor, moderate ceiling who plays with a hot motor and could contribute sooner than most young players. Think Wormley rather than Heyward. The NFL.com scouting profile comes down to “really fine player with heavy feet that are going to limit his upside forever.” The TDN scouting profile and Sports Illustrated scouting profile both end with Round 5 grades based on the lack of pass rush upside, and the impact of those heavy feet on his ability to help with twists and wide-stretch runs. |
| 3:24 | EDGE Andre Carter II, Army (Senior). 6’6½”, 256 lbs. with 33⅜’ arms and 9⅜” hands. Will turn 23 in June. Awfully raw, but he has a solid multi-sport background, and assets that include both burst and bend to complement his startling length. Plus, whatever credit you care to award for West Point levels of character and leadership skills. Had a great 2021 but looked only good in 2022. “Why” will be a big focus of the pre-draft studies, especially since Army didn’t play a whole lot of powerhouse opponents. Most pundits blame it on regimen, since West Point has a strict physical training program that orients on soldiering at the expense of sports. His Senior Bowl performance suggests that it may well be a simple need to focus on a football-specific training regimen rather than the broader conditioning required for military service. In any case, Carter will not offer any real help to his team in 2023, though one may expect a giant leap in 2024 after a full year in a professional weight room. His run defense leaves a lot to be desired, but a lot of that is learnable. He has the tools, and rebuilding his body would go a long way to answering those questions all on its own. A new, impending law will allow him to defer the service obligation until after his NFL career. The TDN draft profile ends in a Round 4 grade based on “super-high intangibles” and athletic potential, offset by concerns over the level of football specific physical and technique training. This brief January scouting profile ends in a Round 2 grade based on the tools, offset by “struggles to get low and anchor in the run game.” This January scouting profile ends with a nice player comp to HOF’er Jason Taylor as a pure athlete, but without the developed football muscle and technique. |
| 3:24 | EDGE/ILB Nick Hampton, App. St. (Junior). 6’2¼”, 236 lbs. with 33⅝” arms and 9½” hands. Turns 23 a few weeks before the draft. A pass-rushing OLB in college who wins on pure twitch, burst, bend, and overall athleticism that’s simply better than his opponents. But he’s built like an ILB who is far smaller than the likes of Watt or Highsmith. Is he a hybrid or a tweener? Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile sums him up like this: “Hampton isn’t anything special as a run defender, but his pass-rush tape really stands out. He’s an explosive, linear [undersized 3-4 OLB] pass rusher featuring subtle techniques near the top of the rush that help him access the pocket.” |
| 3:24 | EDGE Zach Harrison, Ohio St. (Senior). 6’5½”, 274 lbs. with astonishing 36¼” arms (!) and 10” hands. Turns 22 in August. Team captain. A 4-3 DE with fabulous length that he knows how to use, and 5-star athleticism, but held back by what Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile calls “his gradual movement and lack of playmaking urgency.” And yet he was a team captain? Something doesn’t quite jibe. This bullet-point scouting profile is just one of many that complain about a tardy reaction to the snap and “robotic” movements at times. |
| 3:24 | EDGE Eku Leota, Auburn by way of Northwestern (RS Senior). 6’3”, 255 lbs. with 33⅞” arms and 9⅞” hands. Turns 24 in May. Tore his pec in game 5 of the 2022 season. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile calls him “the definition of a 3-4 strong side outside linebacker. He offers the toughness/strength to do battle and hold the fort along the edge.” A tricky evaluation because he has only moderate burst and bend, but excels at winning on second-, third-, and fourth-effort counters. He simply never stops, and the last one comes as fast and ferocious as the first. The TDN scouting profile (Round 3 grade) agrees, with a bit more praise for his “quick burst” and some notes that his experience playing TE as well as Edge shows some overall good wiring. |
| 3:24 | EDGE/DT Colby Wooden, Auburn (RS Junior). 6’5”, 284 lbs. with 33¾” arms and 10⅜” hands. Turns 23 in December. [Discount applied for lack of fit]. Reportedly a “coach’s dream” when it comes to work ethic and love of the game, he projects as an obvious 4-3 DE. Not a bad one either. A poor fit for Pittsburgh unless you think he can add 20 pounds to become a viable DT prospect. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting report ends with a fringe 2nd grade, admiring the “competitive work effort,… heavy hands, and nimble feet” but worrying that he is “more elusive than controlling at the point of attack.” |
| 3:24 | Buck ILB Noah Sewell, Oregon (Senior) [Mtg. at Combine]. 6’1½”, 246 lbs. with 31⅝” arms and 10” hands. Turns 21 a few days before the draft. A tremendous athlete and brutal force in the traditional, thumper role now occupied by Mark Robinson and Elandon Roberts. Athletic enough (top 15% before agility drills) to avoid being a true liability in coverage against college athletes and offenses, but he’s going to be a two-down player in the NFL unless he can achieve a superb football IQ that he hasn’t shown to date. Jonathan Heitritter’s gif-supported Depot scouting report ends in a Round 3 grade, describing Sewell as a solid player when moving forward, but a liability when asked to move laterally or backward. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile ends in something close to a Round 4 grade. Comes from an amazingly athletic family with two brothers who are also in the NFL. Samoan background. |
| 3:24 | Mack ILB Henry To’o To’o, Alabama (Senior) [Mtg. at Combine]. 6’1”, 227 lbs. with 32¾” arms and 10¼” hands. Turned 22 in January. Tested as a surprisingly average athlete, especially on the agility side. A multi-purpose ILB who likes to hit and is tough for linemen to catch but lacks the size to be a genuine thumper even though he views run stuffing as job #1. Had a 2021 reputation for being slow or guessing on his reads. Has always had trouble getting off blocks, which would really annoy a Pittsburgh fan base traumatized by seeing that in Devin Bush. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile calls him “steady but unspectacular… lack[ing] in inside… [and] just average in coverage.” #Ouch. Tested at the Combine as an average athlete. |
| 3:24 | S Sydney Brown, Illinois (Senior). 5’9¾”, 213 lbs. with 31½” arms and big 10¼” hands. Turned 23 today (March 23). His twin brother is RB Chase Brown, and I heartily recommend this wonderful 2022 Sports Illustrated feature about the two. Looked fantastic at the Senior Bowl, showcasing smooth, easy, and effective coverage skills. Elite speed and explosion numbers led to a top 4-5% athletic profile held back only by size. Tackles okay but can be beaten by good size. A good comp might be C.J. Gardner-Johnson, a solid but undersized defender who will help your team without being a star. Alex Kozora’s gif-supported Depot scouting report chose the 49ers Ben Hufanga on similar grounds. NOTE: Brown’s highest and best use may be as an ideal, sub-package puzzle piece who can neatly straddle the line between box-Safety and Nickel-CB. That, combined with obvious special-teams value, gives him a very solid floor despite our limited ability to project him as a genuine starter. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile expresses concern about far too many missed tackles. |
| 3:24 | S Anthony Johnson Jr., Iowa St. (Senior). 6’0”, 205 lbs. with 31¼” arms and 8¾” hands. 23. Turns 24 in December. Team captain. [Do not confuse with CB Anthony Johnson from Virginia or Safety Antonio Johnson from Texas A&M] A converted Corner who takes pride in hitting like a truck, but retains the coverage chops to be a Nickel DB. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile implies that he is still a few years away from mastering the upstairs part of this complicated position and may be vulnerable to manipulative QBs and erroneous reads. But he will make his mistakes at full speed, which is what coaches always say they want. Good explosion numbers earned him a top 9-10% athletic profile. |
| 3:24 | CB Terell Smith, Minnesota (RS Senior). 6’0½”, 204 lbs. with 32⅞” arms and 9” hands. 22, turns 23 in September. Tom Mead’s gif-supported Depot scouting report describes Smith as a height/weight/speed type of prospect who plays well in press, has good click-and-close, and is even a decent tackler when he doesn’t fly in too hard. The production is meh, and Tom reports issues with adjusting to back shoulder throws. The report ends with a Round 3 grade because “He’s consistent and executes his role. He could also profile as a gunner on special teams.” |
| 3:24 | CB Cory Trice, Purdue (Senior). 6’3⅜”, 206 lbs. with 32⅜” arms and 9¾” hands. Will be a 23-year-old rookie. An athletic press CB with great size, the speed to stay with anyone but true 4.3 guys, and nice physicality/tackling in run support. But how will he deal with NFL athletes who are exceptionally quick or crazy fast? And will his COD skill be clunky enough to limit him to a Cover 3 system? The size and length propelled him to an enormous top 1-2% RAS score, with 4.47 speed to back it up. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile says he “is physical in coverage but lacks the same temperament in run support… [A] decent athlete but lacks ideal fluidity and speed to recover when beaten, so press and zone coverages are where he should live.” |
| 3:24 | T/G Nick Saldiveri, Old Dominion (RS Senior). 6’6”, 318 lbs. with 33¼” arms and big 101/4” hands. Turns 23 in August. Team captain. Good mobility with an effective punch and solid experience at a lower level. Adequate athleticism. Better at positional and zone blocking than at old-fashioned, dig-’em-out, dirty work. This goes to the TDN scouting profile, which ends in a Round 4 grade. Here is a good Senior Bowl interview with Alex Kozora. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile calls him a natural athlete who “should fit best as a zone blocker or pulling guard who can get out into space and find work.” |
| 3:24 | T/G Tyler Steen, Alabama by way of Vanderbilt (Senior). 6’5”, 321 lbs. with 32¾” arms and 10½” hands. Turns 23 in June. He has all the athletic talent needed to play Tackle in the NFL. His feet are nimble enough to do the job against anyone, and he has tremendous range for getting to the second level. He also made significant as the 2022 season progressed, which bodes very well if you project the same sort of thing moving forward. The downsides come down to a moderate amount of country strength, only acceptable length, a bad habit of rising up as he comes out of his stance, and the normal hand fighting and leaning concerns to be expected from any OT outside of Round 1. Has some experience at Guard, but that would not suit his profile quite as well. Here is Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile. |
| 3:24 | OG Anthony Bradford, LSU (RS Junior). 6’4”, 332 (down from 345 at the Senior Bowl, and 365 in school) with 33½” arms and 9½” hands. Turned 24 in March. A colossal, human-moving young man who can hold up against anyone in a phone booth, and has enough mobility to pull, but came into the draft with film showing a lack of lateral agility. That college version would have been a poor fit for Pat Meyer’s scheme, and also vulnerable to really quick 3-techs. But something funny happened on the way to the forum: he dropped almost 20 pounds before the end of the season, and then another 20 on his way to the Combine. At which point he suddenly tested as a top 3-4% athlete with all the power and vastly more movement skills than he ever showed in college. And who knows whether that could be improved? There’s probably 20 more he could drop without cutting into muscle. I suggest starting with the Sports illustrated scouting profile to get a feel for the XXXL version. Then have a look at Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile, and the TDN scouting profile for the 340-something version. We don’t have any post-Combine scouting reports, and in many ways they are pure speculation, but at some level the numbers don’t lie. Everyone knew that Anthony Bradford was a huge and powerful man. But now he is a huge, powerful, and athletic man who may have just found his golden ticket where it was buried in the drawer. |
| 3:24 | OG/C Jon Gaines II, UCLA (RS Senior). 6’4”, 303 lbs. with 33⅝” arms and 10⅛” hands. A tremendous athlete who got onto everyone’s radar after putting up an astonishing top 1% athletic score at the Combine, a score that included an elite 4.45 short shuttle, fast enough to be strongly correlated to NFL success. The NFL.com scouting profile by Lance Zierlein emphasizes Gaines’ intelligence and “clear understanding of his duties on every snap.” Zierlein also notes the athleticism but warns that his “athleticism doesn’t guarantee consistent body control or balance in his play.” Has started at Guard, Center, and Tackle. Particularly good at finding his targets on the run. Chandler Stroud’s gif-supported Depot scouting report also emphasizes the combination of football IQ and top level athletic talent, held back by technical flaws that can make him miss with his punch. |
| 3:24 | OC Luke Wypler, Ohio St. (Junior). 6’3”, 303 lbs. with 31⅝” arms and 9⅝.” Turns 22 in early May. The pivot man for a very good college OL, Wypler has everything you want in a center except some exceptional genius or extra-large size. Smart, technically sound, experienced, etc, he also moves very well. Time in an NFL training room will do him nothing but good. Held his own against Jalen Carter in the semifinals game. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile calls him “undersized but highly athletic [with] initial quickness [that] gets him to the best angles.” Tom Mead’s gif-supported Depot scouting report of very good athlete with a high IQ, who would fit best in a “zone-based offense that relies on movement more than displacing defenders one on one.” |
| 3:24 | WR Jayden Reed, Mich. St. via W. Mich. (Senior). 5’10”, 187 lbs. with 30½” arms and 9⅛” hands. Turns 23 just before the draft. Quicker than fast, dangerous with the ball in his hands, and able to create good separation using sharp routes. Production slid in 2022 along with everything else in that offense. Tyler Wise’s gif-supported Depot scouting report (early Round 4 grade) adds that he is a top-notch character bet with a competitive streak and work ethic to applaud. A certified tough guy when it comes to blocking in addition to receiving. This would be an ideal slot WR profile if he was more reliable on combat catches. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile loves the ball skills, attitude, and kick return ability, but calls him “too tight-hipped for stop-start routes on the tree” and criticizes the number of focus drops. Tested sort of meh at the Combine, with good speed, very average explosion numbers, and poor size adding up to a 60th percentile overall profile. |
| 4:01 | NT/DT Jerrod Clark, Coastal Car. (Senior). 6’3⅝”, 334 lbs. with 33¾” arms and 9¾” hands. Turns 24 in November. Can you believe a behemoth this size started out as a Tight End? Truth. He carries some extra weight now but would be a legit 320 on an NFL nutrition plan, and he has all the strength to match. The combo of that strength, his quick first step, and some surprising agility, makes Clark project as an ideal run-stuffing NT who may have 3-down upside. He isn’t that player yet, and stamina is a real issue, but the potential is there. Also has a lot of room to improve with NFL coaching on various technique issues. |
| 4:01 | DT/NT Keondre Coburn, Texas (Senior) [Mtg. at Combine]. 6’1⅝”, 332 lbs. with stumpy 31½” arms and 9⅛” hands. Turns 23 in May. Josh Carney’s gif-supported Depot scouting report describes an immense, if very squatty and short-armed, NT with “some really impressive athleticism and explosiveness.” Played a very limited snap count in college and will probably be a two-down player in the pros despite bringing enough burst to be more than just a space eater. Has a surprising ability to get skinny in the gap in addition to simply holding his ground. |
| 4:01 | DT Siaki Ika, Baylor by way of LSU (Junior). 6’2⅞”, 335 lbs. (down from 358 in college) with 32⅜” arms and 10¼” hands. Turns 23 in November. The size is real and shows up when he plays with proper technique, but that can be hit or miss. And OLs can control him despite the size when they win the leverage or hand-position battles. At the same time, technique is learnable, and the film asks, “what might happen if he dropped some weight from his 358 in college, to add some quickness?” Then he came into the Combine at 335 and… put up a historically bad 2nd percentile RAS score, looking terrible on explosion and agility tests, with fairly short arms. That dropped his grade by a full round below the Round 2 suggested by Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile, which had said Ika “has the potential to become a highly effective block-eater as an odd or even front nose tackle… [but also has] enough athleticism and hand work to challenge the pocket from time to time [if] he’s able to manage his weight.” Jonathan Heitritter’s gif-supported Depot scouting report comes to the same Round 2 grade, on much the same reasoning. Some have used Vita Vea as a proposed player comp, but he is a significantly better athlete. Zierlein chose Danny Shelton, and Heitritter Paul Soliai, both of whom are part-time players that serve specialist roles rather than being true starters. |
| 4:01 | DT Moro Ojomo, Texas (RS Senior). 6’2⅝”, 292 lbs. with long 34½” arms and big 10⅜” hands. Turns 22 in August. Could be a real sleeper. Ojomo was a 4-3 DE in college with a reputation for pro-level work as a run stuffer but will need to move inside for the NFL. The measurements are great, with the extra-long arms making up for being a few inches shorter than the Steelers’ norm, and the general description also works. He is young, has an excellent motor, and tested as a fine, top 15% athlete. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile expresses concerns about burst off the ball, pad level, and whether he has the physical ability to keep his pads low. But here’s the interesting thing: his athletic testing showed excellent burst and COD skills, which are the very tests he should have flunked if those issues couldn’t be fixed by coaching. The TDN scouting profile calls him a tweener and ends with a Round 5 grade. The PFN scouting profile (an early 3rd grade “top 75”) is more useful, since it contrasts his individual presentation (“studious, calm, articulate”) against his violent and energetic on-field persona. The Sports Illustrated profile ends with a Round 4 grade. Looked great at the Shrine Bowl. |
| 4:01 | DT Jaquelin Roy, LSU (Junior). 6’3”, 305 lbs. with 32¾” arms and 10⅛” hands. Turns 23 as a rookie. A quick, penetrating 3-tech who needs to work on both strength and anchor before he will earn NFL snaps. Has some particular issues dealing with double teams. The big selling point is true starter potential if he can get and accept the coaching he needs. Tom Mead’s gif-supported Depot scouting report sees a part-time NT right now, with the potential to become a solid, full-time DT starter if he can clean things up and come close to achieving his potential. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile calls him “an ascending talent… with outstanding upper body power, [who] plays with unbridled energy [and] has one-gapping snap quickness and two-gapping potential.” |
| 4:01 | EDGE K.J. Henry, Washington (Senior). 6’4”, 251 lbs. with 33” arms and 10” hands. Turned 24 in January. A top 83% but somewhat straight-line athlete with great strength in his hands to hold the edge. Produced a ton of pressures in 2022 but not many sacks. Character is a big selling point. Everyone in the country should want a young man like this living in their city. The questions all go to whether you should also want him on your football team. The NFL.com scouting profile (Round 3-ish grade) emphasizes how raw he is but also highlights a lot of really desirable natural assets: “Community-oriented team captain with high personal character… disruptive snap quickness… ankle flexion [to] allow for tight turns… speed to power… electric inside counter… [etc.]” Jonathan Heitritter’s gif-supported Depot scouting report (Day 3 grade) worries that he may be a “looks like Tarzan, plays like Jane” type who remains so raw because he “lacks ideal play strength [and the hand fighting skills] to consistently set the edge and win against NFL-caliber OT’s.” |
| 4:01 | DL/EDGE Tuli Tuipulotu, USC (Junior). 6’4”, 290 lbs. with 32¼” arms and huge 10⅞” hands. [Discounted due to similarity with Leal] Only 20 on draft day, turning 21 in September. That’s Juju-level young! Double-T has played every DL position from 1-tech NT out to 4-3 DE, relying on a potent combination of strength, burst, nonstop motor, and surprising agility for a big man. The issue is that all of those assets seem to be top 70-80% but not top 90% if that makes sense. A lot of his stats come from persistence more than wins, along with that ability to suddenly accelerate when the ball comes close. Comes from a football family, with a brother currently playing DL for the Eagles. The PFN scouting profile is definitely worth a read. Jonathan Heitritter’s gif-supported Depot scouting report ends in a lower-than-most Round 4 grade, partly because he fits the same mold as Leal without having more in the way of upside. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile wouldn’t disagree for Pittsburgh but argues that the right team might see him as more like the next George Karlaftis, and give him a solid early-2nd grade. |
| 4:01 | NT Cameron Young, Miss. St. (Senior) [Mtg. at Combine]. 6’3⅜”, 304 lbs. with long 34½” arms and 10” hands. Turns 23 in June. A run-stuffing, 2-gapping, 2-down, country-strong Nose Tackle who doesn’t move backward but can be outmaneuvered. No pass rush to speak of. |
| 4:01 | EDGE Yaya Diaby, Louisville (Senior). 6’3⅜”, 363 lbs. with 33⅞” arms and 10⅜” hands. Turns 24 in May. A JUCO player who went to Louisville for his final two years, Diaby played out of position as a 3-4 DE. He is bound and certain to be an EDGE in the NFL. Tested at a fairly amazing, top 2% athlete at the Combine. Solid burst and bend. Still more of a power player at this point in his career, which was no doubt a side effect of playing DT in college. Alex Kozora’s gif-supported Depot scouting report ends in a Round 3-4 grade. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile in something more like a 4-5. The pre-Combine TDN scouting profile (meaning film-based only) describes Diaby as a Round 5 OLB prospect with good speed-to-power, and little but promise for everything else. |
| 4:01 | EDGE Dylan Horton, TCU (RS Senior) [Mtg. at Combine]. 6’4”, 257 lbs. with 32⅛” arms and 9½” hands. Turns 23 in August. A tricky evaluation because TCU plays an unorthodox 3-3-5 defense that forced him to be a pretend DT when he’s actually more of a classic 4-3 Edge. Excellent burst and very good strength/power, but he is a linear athlete with very little bend. Has a decent array of initial moves based on a solid long-arm technique, but not much in the way of developed counters. Often moved around the DL and has proven the ability to rush from a 2-point stance. Fine motor and excellent run defender but profiles much better as a 4-3 DE than a 3-4 OLB. I urge you to read this tremendous January interview with TDN, in which Horton goes into the different positions he played in college and his preferences. Here is the companion TDN scouting profile, which ends in a Round 3 grade as a 4-3 DE. This January PFN scouting profile reaches a similar conclusion: Round 3-4 grade as a linear, power-oriented, 4-3 DE who can occasionally slide inside to attack the B gap. |
| 4:01 | EDGE Isiah McGuire, Missouri (Senior). 6’4⅜”, 271 lbs. with 33⅞” arms and 8⅝” hands. Turns 22 in July. Alex Kozora’s gif-supported Depot scouting report describes a high-floor Edge Rusher who can absorb a lot of snaps when run defense is a priority but who may do better as a 4-3 DE. Would grade even higher if he had good twitch and coverage skills rather than merely adequate. Team leader who gets better results than a part-by-part breakdown says he should. The NFL.com scouting profile likes him more as a Round 3-ish prospect, saying he has good, translatable traits. “He’s a bulldozing power rusher who can uproot tackles and collapse pockets with forceful punch and explosive leg drive, [and good[ first-step quickness, [but inconsistent, undisciplined, and] too reliant on power over skill.” |
| 4:01 | EDGE Byron Young, Tennessee (Senior). 6’3”, 250 lbs. with long 34⅜” arms and huge 11” hands. Turns 25 just before the draft. [Not to be confused with DT Byron Young from Alabama]. An overachieving JUCO walk-on who played so well that he was able to transfer to Tennessee in 2021, where he’s been tremendous. Great bend and COD with a red-hot motor. Might have graded a solid round better if he was 3-4 years younger. There is upside in his length because the hand-fighting skills were nonexistent in college and that is something he can definitely learn. Tested at a surprisingly poor bottom 5% athlete at the Combine; I’m waiting for his Pro Day before believing it. The NFL.com scouting profile admires the explosiveness, “fully fueled motor and strong desire to make plays,” but also emphasizes that he is quite raw, which is particularly bad for a 25 year old rookie. Jonathan Heitritter’s gif-supported Depot scouting report loves his get-off and motor but ends with a Round 4 grade due to the combination of poor hands and advanced age. |
| 4:01 | Buck ILB Yasir Abdullah, Louisville (Senior). 6’0⅝”, 237 lbs. with 32⅜” arms and 9¼” hands. An exceptional, top 5% athlete (before agility testing), Abdullah is another successful college Edge Rusher who is simply too small to play that role in a Pittsburgh defense. The NFL.com scouting profile is clear that he fights above his weight class, but also acknowledges that size issues are going to really matter at the next level. “Size and length fall well below NFL norms for the position… [but] his leverage, power and agility mitigate size issues, while his nose for the football has created production as a run defender, pass rusher and special teams tackler.” |
| 4:01 | FS Christopher Smith II, Georgia (Senior). 5’10⅝”, 192 lbs. with 31⅛” arms and 9⅝” hands. Turns 23 in May. Minkah Lite skill-set with size concerns will chase him forever and are visible when it comes to run support. Could go as early as late 2nd to the exact right team, but more likely a Round 3 guy. This goes to Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile. |
| 4:01 | CB Mekhi Blackmon, USC (Senior). 5’11”, 178 lbs. with 31” arms and 9¼” hands. Turned 24 this month. He isn’t the biggest guy, but neither is he overly small, and he plays a tough, hitting brand of football up to those physical limitations. Good ball skills. Plays with proper CB arrogance, and a broad skill-set that lets him back it up, particularly press man. The sort of player who sometimes gets beat, but rarely loses. Good, high CB4 floor, but will be challenged to reach “solid CB2.” There’s a lot of Levi Wallace or William Gay to the better parts of his game. This goes to the TDN scouting profile (Round 3 grade). This scouting profile lists slot coverage against TE’s and big WRs as a particular area of strength. The SI scouting profile (Round 6 grade) describes him as, “an experienced, savvy, and physical cornerback who knows how to contribute from a variety of roles, but his physical limitations prevent him from contending for a top-100 selection.” Tyler Wise’s gif-supported Depot scouting report (4th Round) admires his man coverage skills and ability to play both in the slot and outside but worries about his “struggles with click-and-close on quick-breaking routes, footwork in off-coverage, and [occasional hesitation] in the run game.” |
| 4:01 | CB Anthony Johnson, Virginia (Senior). 6’2”, 205 lbs. with 32⅝” arms and 8⅝” hands. Turned 24 in January. Team captain. [Do not confuse with SAF Anthony Johnson Jr. from Iowa St. or Safety Antonio Johnson from Texas A&M] Excellent experience with desirable size and length. Alex Kozora’s gif-supported Depot scouting report ends in a Round 3 grade, describing Johnson as a feast-or-famine, press man CB with limited 4.63 speed, but good physicality. Alex suggests that he may even be destined for use as a press-man specialist limited to sub packages. Other reviewers have reached diametrically opposite conclusions, which means this is a prospect who deserves a much closer look. The TDN scouting profile, e.g., sees a prospect with good (not great) speed, COD concerns, and a notably quick click-and-close trigger that would make zone schemes the proper fit. Both worry that he plays a little high and looks a bit tight in the hips, which raises COD concerns and makes off-man coverage the weakest projection. About that apparent conflict, Alex emphasizes that he focused on what ‘was’ in college. The TDN piece appears to be aimed heavily at what ‘might be.’ This would harmonize the different views and give us a good bottom line. If Johnson can succeed in press as well in the pros as he did in college, and also develop expertise in zone, you’d have an excellent starter vulnerable only when asked to play an off-man technique. If either of those “ifs” does not come through, he projects as a limited but still useful role player. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile admires the H/W/S assets and overall physicality, but says he lacks hip fluidity. Had a bad enough Combine to make you wonder if something was wrong that day. |
| 4:01 | CB/S Jaylon Jones, Texas A&M (Junior). 6’2”, 200 lbs. with 30¾” arms and 9” hands. Turns 21 in early April. A big, physical CB and special teams ace with limitations on his pure agility and straight-line speed who should have a good shot at building a Safety career if he can’t succeed on the outside. There are also some signs of Stone Hands Syndrome, which would no doubt frustrate the fan base. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile sees a big but fluid player with premium size and length, offset by a lack of top-end speed, and loose technique that “gives up instant separation at break points.” Jonathan Heitritter’s gif-supported Depot scouting report sees a stickier, Round 2 talent with enough flaws to drop down into the early 4th. JH sees his early career arc as a “pass deflection machine” who can “challenge receivers routinely as he racks up PBU’s while adding as a run defender and special teamer.” |
| 4:01 | CB Darrell Luter Jr., S. Alabama (Senior). 5’11¾”, 189 lbs. with 32⅜” arms and big 10⅜” hands. Turns 23 in April. Dominated lower D-I competition with length and very good athleticism but real questions exist about his ability to step up against NFL WRs. This goes to Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile. Tested fine (78th percentile) at the Combine, with basically average scores highlighted by a fantastic vertical leap and a truly awful short shuttle (though the 3-cone was well above average). |
| 4:01 | CB Tyrique Stevenson, Miami by way of Georgia (Senior). 6’0”, 198 lbs. with 32⅝” arms and 9⅝” hands. Turns 23 a day after the draft. A freakish H/W/S player with good length. The testing shows an easy top 10% straight line athlete, with very low agility scores. One hopes he will make his way to a Seattle-type defense with a Cover 3 base that would protect him against quick COD routes. Alas, that won’t be in Pittsburgh, especially with this year’s surfeit of other options. Came in at #36 in Daniel Jeremiah’s initial Top-50 list, who particularly praised his “outstanding speed and aggression.” Had a tremendous Senior Bowl week. A CB who takes risks because covering alone isn’t enough for this much motor, he’s also been known to have that backfire. In college he usually had the speed and athleticism to make up for those mistakes. In the NFL…? |
| 4:01 | OT Jaelyn Duncan, Maryland (Senior). 6’5”, 306 lbs. with 33” arms and 9⅜” hands. Turns 23 in July. Do you remember that scene with the strafing run at the end of the original Star Wars? “Almost there. Almost… there…” Duncan is a near-elite athlete with moderate size, and only good experience, technique, and overall conditioning. His movement skills are so good that he’s not going to lose an edge to anyone, but he needs coaching to avoid getting beat by pro-level strength and infighting technique. Expect a lot of holding penalties until he does. The run blocking is okay, but only just. One of those really fine prospects who has great tools but needs to raise or compensate for every part of his game, yet every part is almost… there… One can also question his fit vis a vis the size/length assets Coach Pat Meyer prefers. Duncan is more of a supersized TE in the Chuks Okorafor mold, and his arm length is acceptable rather than special. Played extremely well at LT during Senior Bowl week, but very unnatural when shifted to RT. Here is an excellent, gif-supported Senior Bowl interview with Jonathan Heitritter. Knows Mike Tomlin through having his son, Dino, as a teammate. Lost a significant amount of weight (20 pounds?) in preparation for the draft process. Alex Kozora’s gif-supported Depot scouting report sees starting traits that mirror a familiar name: Chuks Okorafor. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile sounds some similar notes without the comp: “His [foot speed and] lateral quickness should work to his advantage as a move blocker, but [his ability to anchor is a major concern, and] he’ll need to unearth enough grit to stand up to NFL bullies at the point of attack to make it.” |
| 4:01 | OT Blake Freeland, BYU (Senior). 6’7”, 312 lbs. with 33⅞” arms and 10” hands. Turns 22 in May. Sometimes a quote says it all. Here is the summary from Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile: “A sky-scraping tackle prospect with outstanding length and good fluidity, Freeland should get much stronger with time in an NFL weight room.” Pittsburgh fans might call him a prospect in the mold of a Chuks Okorafor or Al Villanueva: athletic and mobile, but only strong enough to be a positional blocker. He does have the heart of a lineman and tries to be physical. It’s just that he’s a long, tall drink of water with a high center of gravity, and the Senior Bowl showed some lack of play strength. This is a basic flaw that will cripple his NFL career unless/until he can develop expert technique and add some required mass to his body, both of which seem viable from Year 2 on. |
| 4:01 | T/G Warren McClendon Jr., Georgia (Junior). 6’4”, 306 lbs. with long 34½” arms and 10” hands. Turns 22 just before the draft. You expect Right Tackles to be enormous, relatively slow-footed 6’7” monsters who weigh anywhere from 330 on up. The national champion Georgia Bulldogs went the opposite route, with a sleek, quick-footed Tackle who comes in at 3” shorter and 40 lbs. lighter. But those numbers are deceiving. McClendon has the arms of a taller man and used to weigh as much as 320; the current version has almost no extra weight at all. The result has been all the foot speed needed to more or less neutralize top-5 pick Will Anderson Jr. when the two faced off a year ago, but a lack of oomph when put against larger men. He run blocks with serious attitude, can climb to the next level as well as anyone, and has a good strong punch. He’s just on the very small side, and it’s going to show at the next level. If he can solve the size and strength challenge, you’ll get a Kelvin Beachum (6’3”, 303 lbs.), but he just won’t stick if he can’t. Injured in the January car crash that killed a fellow O-Lineman and an athletic staffer but not enough to harm his draft prospects. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile calls him, “a hardworking team leader [whose] intangibles [] are countered by a lack of ideal size, length and athleticism as either a tackle or a guard.” |
| 4:01 | G Ryan Hayes, Michigan (Senior). 6’7”, 298 lbs. with 32½” arms and 10” hands. Turned 23 in February. An extremely good multi-sport athlete with excellent college experience playing LT at the highest level. A vicious run blocker who knows how to use his frame, drive with his legs, reach, pull, and shift around to get a good angle. The combination of disproportionately short arms and waist bending issues will combine to force him inside, which makes sense given his approach to the game. A solid top 10% athlete with exceptional agility. May be extra appealing to outside-zone teams. |
| 4:01 | OG Jordan McFadden, Clemson (RS Senior). 6’2”, 303 lbs. with 34” arms and 9½” hands. Turns 24 in November. 3-year starter and team captain. A college Tackle with enough flaws and physical limitations to be forced inside in the NFL. He’s actually built more like a Center than anything else, and all reports suggest that has the savvy and leadership a pivot needs, but he has never done that job so far as I can tell. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile catches the issues in a single phrase: “a reliable prospect lacking desired measurables.” That covers it. This goes to the TDN scouting profile, which admires “the tone-setting style of play and demeanor that Jordan McFadden embodies,” but worries about whether he has the size to handle the sort of Night Stalker DT monsters he’d see in the NFL. This goes to a nice, Giants-oriented scouting profile from January that describes a player who’d fit Pat Meyer’s philosophy perfectly if not for the lack of pure size and length. |
| 4:01 | G/T Asim Richards, N. Car. (Senior). 6’4”, 309 lbs. with 34” arms and 10” hands. Turns 23 in October. A strong, nasty, very physical run blocker who excels moving the man in front of him and pulling and getting to the second level. His pass-protection skills are basically below-average for a Tackle, which suggests a move inside unless new coaching cleans up various details like hand fighting and gain some quicker feet. One big flaw has been a tendency to be late off the ball, which is very strange for an athlete who was good enough to play TE and DT in addition to Tackle. Could be a Day 3 bargain, but there are enough issues to make Day 2 a little rich. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile sees a Guard with the versatility to be a backup Tackle, rather than vice versa. |
| 4:01 | G Andrew Vorhees, USC (RS Senior) [Mtg. at Combine]. 6’6”, 310 lbs. with 32⅛”arms and 10” hands. Turned 24 in January. [Tore his ACL at the Combine] Tough, strong, nasty, and about as good a Guard prospect as you get short of the unicorn types. Plays like a wrestler in the good sense; i.e., with very good balance, taking advantage of opponents’ errors in balance and movement, and with surprising agility. Would be an even finer prospect if he had learned how to use his hands well enough to wrestle without holds and had no lapses in his anchor. His Combine injury can be seen in a few ways. First, he won’t be able to challenge for a starting role this year… but how many Round 4 picks really could? Second, he came back on the day after his injury and put up more bench press reps than any other player in the draft — at any position. You may not think so, but the bench press really does use legs, so he did that with a handicap. Alex Kozora put up this brief video back in January, and then this gif-supported scouting profile. Seems to fit exceptionally well with the movement-oriented duties of Pat Meyer’s blocking scheme. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile sums him up this way: “there are things to clean up, but he has enough polish and strength to start early on.” He sees more limitations than concerns. |
| 4:01 | C/G Alex Forsyth, Oregon (RS Senior). 6’4”, 303 lbs. with 32¾” arms and 10¼” hands. Turned 24 in February. A nice, solid Center with good technique outside of what Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile calls “pre-snap yips [that] turned into penalties.” Has the size and build to play Guard without any real dip, especially if he can build some extra core strength. |
| 4:01 | OC Olusegun Oluwatimi, Michigan by way of Virginia (RS Senior). 6’3”, 309 lbs. with 32¾” arms and smaller 8⅝” hands. Turns 24 in August. Another fine player in a fine class who plays a smart, intelligent game at the pivot position. Good mobility, positioning, awareness, and hand-fighting skills but also the sort who benefits from being on the inside where his teammates can cover for his lack of top-level lateral agility and superior size. Compensates with a good understanding of leverage, but one worries that a tie would end up a loss. A gets the job done and leads his unit type, but not a star. A fair projection would be someone comparable to Mason Cole in overall quality, if not specifics. Josh Carney’s gif-supported Depot scouting report uses Patriots OC David Andrews as a more refined comp. There were Senior Bowl contests in which Oluwatimi looked frankly overmatched, though his overall performance evened out to “average.” Here is the NFL.com scouting profile. |
| 4:01 | OC Jarrett Patterson, Notre Dame (RS Senior). 6’5”, 306 lbs. with T-rex arms (31⅜”) arms and 10” hands. Turns 24 in December. Team captain. A four-year starter with his first three at Center, he also did quite well as a Guard in 2022. Has suffered many injuries in college, and some reviewers have wondered if he has lost some of his athleticism. Jon Heitritter’s gif-supported Depot scouting report describes him as a steady, crafty, and experienced blocker who pulls well but has limited overall athleticism; most likely a useful backup with starter potential down the road if he finds the right coaching and situation. High floor, low ceiling. The arm length came as a Senior Bowl shocker, but he looked extremely good all week. |
| 4:01 | QB Tanner McKee, Stanford (Junior). 6’6¼” 231 lbs. with 9⅜” hands. Will be a 23-year-old rookie. A young man who would have pushed toward Round 1 in the days of pure pocket passers because of his build, brains, character, pocket presence, competitive spirit, and easy ability to make every throw. Not a statue in the pocket but won’t win many foot races. Badly needs to work on keeping his top and bottom in sync and tightening up his elongated throwing motion. His accuracy cannot and will not improve until he fixes the body mechanics but could magically do a 180 if he does — just like a pitcher who develops a consistent delivery. There will be Tom Brady comparisons, and they have some legitimacy, but there is a very long way to go both mentally and mechanically before that’s more than a dream. |
| 4:01 | TE Luke Schoonmaker, Michigan (Senior). 6’5¼”, 251 lbs. with 32⅞” arms and 9” hands. Turns 25 in September. [Discount applied for his age]. An old-fashioned, throwback TE who can run block, pass block, and play receiver with decent competence across the board… and compiled a top 3% athletic profile with no real weakness. Someone we’d have been drooling over before Freiermuth arrived in town. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile ends on a Round 2 grade. “He could see action early but might need a year or so before he works himself into a full-time TE2 role,” with hard work in the training room as job #1. The TDN scouting profile agrees with the projection of a high floor, multipurpose TE2 who can do it all at good but not great levels. |
| 4:01 | TE Josh Whyle, Cincinnati (RS Senior). 6’6½”, 248 lbs. with 32½” arms and 9¾” hands. Turns 24 in September. The TDN scouting profile describes Whyle as a very good athlete who excels in the passing game due to his body control, ball skills, and surprising ability to snap off good, sharp routes. Top 11-12% athlete. A willing and developing blocker, but not yet a good one. Has the stuff to be a multi-purpose TE both on the line and as a receiver if he can add some grown man strength. That is easy to see him doing since the photos make him look like one of those still-beardless kids who hasn’t fully matured yet. This goes to Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile. |
| 4:01 | RB Israel Abanikanda, Pitt (Junior). 5’11”, 216 lbs. with 32” arms and 8¼” hands. 20. Turns 21 in October. The NFL.com scouting profile sees a Terrell Davis-type of player: an outside zone runner with unusual size, great 1-cut juice, and the speed to turn any hole into a score. Zierlein’s comp was Isiah Pacheco. |
| 4:01 | RB/WR Devon Achane, Texas A&M (Junior). 5’8½”, 188 lbs. with 29” arms and 8½” hands. Turns 22 in October. Your stereotypical home run hitter who can play — and score — as a RB, WR, and return man. The issues all come from his distinct lack of size, which has ruined the career of many young men with similar profiles. |
| 4:01 | RB Zach Charbonnet, UCLA (Senior). 6’0⅜”, 214 lbs. with 32” arms and 9⅞” hands. Turned 22 in January. Fits the Steelers mold of a power back with good vision, contact balance, and nifty feet. Would have a Round 3 grade if the team didn’t have a few good RBs already, especially after his obvious top 10% athletic testing. |
| 4:01 | RB Zach Evans, Ole Miss by way of TCU (Junior). 6’0”, 202 lbs. with 31⅝” arms and 10¼” hands. Turns 22 in May. If Pittsburgh needed a RB, Evans would be everyone’s sneaky passion. But they don’t. |
| 4:01 | RB Jahmyr Gibbs, Alabama (Senior). 5’9⅛”, 199 lbs. with 30½” arms and 9¼” hands. Turned 21 in March. A fine prospect with good vision, great speed, decent power, and admirable skill in all facets of his trade. Fringe 1st on talent alone, but lacks the size that Pittsburgh traditionally wants, and the roster has no open spot. |
| 4:01 | WR Nathaniel “Tank” Dell, Houston (Senior). 5’8⅜” 165 lbs. with 30½” arms and 8⅝” hands. Turns 24 in October. [Discounted significantly on this board because of size and age.] One of the great stories of the Senior Bowl, he stood out as the best flag football player of the draft. Flat out uncoverable in practice drills. But how many snaps does that get you in the tackle football NFL? He’s so talented that a role does exist; just not as a WR1, 2, or 3. As your gadget guy? Heck yeah. Chandler Stroud’s gif-supported Depot scouting report ends in a Round 4 grade. “If I had one adjective to describe Nathanial Dell, it would be FUN,” says this impressive Giants-oriented February scouting profile that ends in an admiring Round 2 grade, with an asterisk because of the size concerns. Here is a Senior Bowl interview he did with Tyler Wise. The NFL.com scouting report also suggests a Round 2-ish grade. |
| 4:01 | WR C.J. Johnson, E. Carolina (Senior). 6’1½”, 224 lbs. with 32” arms and big 10¼” hands. Turns 23 in November. Per the NFL.com scouting profile: “Johnson is a possession slot receiver in need of better route running. His tools and competitiveness will give him an advantage in a battle for a WR3/WR4 spot.” |
| 4:01 | WR Tre Palmer, Nebraska by way of LSU (Junior). 6’0”, 192 lbs. with 31⅞” arms and 9⅝” hands. Turns 22 in April. A devastating deep threat with legitimately great 4.33 speed. One of the better field-stretch threats of the year, but very raw when it comes to route running, and unreliable when it comes to avoiding drops. The NFL.com scouting profile (Round 4-6 grade) basically comes down to, “gets by with athleticism over craftsmanship.” |
| 4:01 | WR A.T. Perry, Wake Forest (Senior). 6’3½”, 198 lbs. with 33¼” arms and 9¼” hands. 23, turns 24 in October. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile puts it this way: “[Perry is a] long wideout with quick feet and erratic hands who falls neatly into the category of higher-ceiling, lower-floor prospect.” An easy Day 2 talent with size, physicality, and route-running quickness, all held back by a severe case of the dropsies. Tested as an excellent, top 8% athlete. |
| 4:01 | WR Tre Tucker, Cincinnati (Senior). 5’8⅝”, 182 lbs. with very short 28⅞” arms and 8⅝” hands. Turned 22 in March. Really exceptional track speed but isn’t limited to running straight lines. Profiles a lot like Calvin Austin III, but better as a return man and weaker as a true WR. Compiled an overall top 15% athletic profile despite his size. Plays with the fierceness of a Jack Russell Terrier but has about that size compared to the NFL big dogs. This goes to a January scouting profile from Sports Illustrated, and this to the NFL.com scouting profile. |
| 4:16 | EDGE Mike Morris, Michigan (Senior). 6’5⅛”, 275 lbs. with 33½” arms and 10” hands. Turns 22 right before the draft. A natural 4-3 DE who played OLB in college. His main assets are size, strength, length, aggression, and violence but may have trouble playing in space as much as Pittsburgh requires for its OLBs. Not as bursty or bendy as most pass rushers who achieve similar results. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile suggests a solid Day 2 grade based on the untapped potential but warns that it could take him a few years before the lights go on. He also warns that “his disappointing NFL Scouting Combine testing should force teams to reevaluate him.” |
| 4:16 | Buck ILB Nick Herbig, Wisconsin (Junior). 6’2⅛”, 240 lbs. (reportedly played at 228) with 31¼” arms and 9¼” hands. Turned 24 in January. Younger brother of New Steelers OG Nate Herbig. Yet another edge rushing 3-4 OLB in college who will need to move inside to the Buck ILB spot for the NFL. A top 25% athlete, his floor is higher than you’d guess because he is a football player to the core with a hot motor, and thus projects as a core special teamer no matter what. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile catches it perfectly: the “subtle hands and wicked inside move” made him very effective in college, but his lack of size and play strength are a huge issue if he plans to continue as an edge rusher. “He would benefit from a year in the weight room to get ready for NFL edge work, but he might have the instincts and athletic ability for consideration as an off-ball linebacker.” |
| 4:16 | LB Ivan Pace Jr., Cincinnati (Senior) [Mtg. at Combine]. 5’10½”, 231 lbs. with 30¼”arms and 9½” hands. Turns 23 in December. An undersized cannonball who is decent in coverage and good as a blitzer. The lack of exceptional speed, and the poor measurables are what kill his stock. On film he seems to lack both the size and length needed to get off NFL blocks, avoid the fate of ILBs with a small tackling radius, or succeed in coverage against a big TE. He ably avoided blocks in college, and got off a lot of others, but in the pros…? Jonathan Heitritter’s gif-supported Depot scouting report ends in a Round 4 grade. This goes to a Senior Bowl interview with Alex Kozora. He also caught the eye of Steelers scout Ike Taylor at the Senior Bowl. |
| 4:16 | SAF Chamarri Conner, Va. Tech. (Senior). 6’0”, 202 lbs. with 31⅜” arms and 9” hands. Turns 23 in July. A top 5-6% athlete whose natural gifts don’t show as much as they should on film. Has experience in both slot coverage and single high. Good toughness and physicality. 50+ games of college experience, with what appears to be a solid football IQ. Okay hands, but not much in the way of stats. |
| 4:16 | S Brandon Joseph, Notre Dame (RS Junior) [Mtg. at Combine]. 6’0⅜”, 202 lbs. with 30⅞” arms and 9” hands. Turned 22 in February. Has started since his freshman year and it shows. Great ball skills. The TDN scouting profile sees someone who will eventually mature into a ball-hawking Free Safety starter at the next level. Lance Zierlein’s gif-supported scouting profile sees a much lower ceiling despite the good football IQ, with tackling being challenge #1, and his overall agility and movement skills an athletic limitation. |
| 4:16 | SS Marte Mapu, Sacramento St. (Senior). 6’2⅝”, 217 lbs. with 33⅜” arms and 9⅜” hands. Turns 24 in November. The TDN scouting profile describes him as a “long, rangy, and physical player [who] served a plethora of roles…, primarily as a nickel safety but also… as a stack backer, force player, and even as a single high.” This goes to a Senior Bowl interview with Depot’s Tyler Wise. This Broncos-oriented February scouting profile ends with a generous Round 3 grade. |
| 4:16 | S/CB Keidron “Keibo” Smith, Kentucky via Ole Miss (RS Senior) [Mtg. before Senior Bowl]. 6’1⅝”, 203 lbs. with 32⅜” arms and 9½” hands. Turns 24 in November. Experience across the secondary, from SS and FS and as both a boundary and a slot CB. The question marks went to whether he has the pure athleticism to compete against NFL athletes. His impressive performance at the Senior Bowl put a lot of that to rest. A first-order Combine snub. |
| 4:16 | SS Jason Taylor II, Oklahoma St. (RS Senior). 5’11⅝”, 204 lbs. with 32” arms and big 10” hands. Turns 24 in December. A big hitter and good tackler with very good instincts, and certain to be a great special-teams player. His tested explosion and speed numbers were all well into the elite category, yielding a top10% athletic profile even with the moderate size. |
| 4:16 | CB Arquon Bush, Cincinnati (RS Senior). 5’11⅞”, 187 lbs. with 29⅞” arms and 9¼” hands. Turns 23 in May. Solid size and footwork but lacks both the speed and the length to survive in press coverage. Very good in off-man and zone where he can be patient and then trigger downhill. Has had trouble with really fast WRs who can eat up his off-man cushion. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile ends in something like a Round 3-4 grade. A DB “with good size and above average footwork and recognition, [who] lacks top-end speed. [P]lays off-man coverage to protect himself, but it allows for far too many catches underneath.” It adds up to a solid zone-corner prospect who can handle off-man too but should not be asked to play press. Note that he started his college career as a very successful Slot/Nickel CB. |
| 4:16 | CB Mekhi Garner, LSU (RS Senior). 6’2”, 212 lbs. with 32¼” arms and big 10⅛” hands. Turned 23 in January. Killed the Combine, testing as a top 4% athlete for the position; only question mark is long speed, which was a good enough 4.55 with a very good 10-yard split. Per Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile: “Garner is a big, long corner with a jarring press. However, he’s missing the footwork, [balance] and body control to phase and match NFL routes that force him to change direction.” Physical enough to play Safety, he tends to win most of the contested-catch situations he faces. Excellent in run support too, at least for a Corner. Will need to get better if he moves to Safety. |
| 4:16 | CB Riley Moss, Iowa (Senior). 6’0⅝”, 193 lbs. with 30” arms and 9½” hands. Turned 23 in March. A genuine ball hawk who challenges receivers but doesn’t deal well with double moves in man coverage. A better fit for a zone-heavy team, which isn’t what Pittsburgh now does. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile compares his skill set to Ross Cockrell. The Combine testing showed him to be a top 2%(!) athlete but without the agility drills that we’d most want to see. Jonathan Heitritter’s gif-supported Depot scouting report (Round 4 grade) also sees him fitting best in a zone-heavy defense with occasional off-man duties, and predicts that he will start his career as a backup CB and special-teams ace. |
| 4:16 | T/G Richard Gouraige, Florida (RS Junior). 6’5”, 306 lbs. with 34” arms and 10” hands. Turns 25 in October. A multi-year college Tackle with NFL assets, he won’t be able to stay in that position at the next level unless/until he can clean up some glaring problems with his footwork and balance. Those are things one can learn, but it takes time and a lot of men fail. The hidden upside is that better footwork cascades into better performance in every aspect of the game, so Gouraige may have hidden upside. And he has good experience playing Guard as well. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile ends with something like a Round 3-4 grade, describing him as a “durable and dependable” young man with excellent experience, who “plays with sound technique, but [] could struggle when matched with size and power, [and has] athletic limitations [that] might ultimately cap his draft value and career ceiling” to playing at Guard. Ross McCorkle’s gif-supported Depot scouting report (Round 5) agrees that Gouraige may need to move inside and expresses particular doubt about his fit to “how Pat Meyer coaches usage of hands.” |
| 4:16 | T/G Wanya Morris, Oklahoma by way of Tennessee (Senior). 6’5”, 307 lbs. with absurd 35⅛” arms and 10¼” hands. Turns 23 in October. Has experience at both RT and LT. A 5-star athlete with great length and good strength, he has not developed consistent technique to build on his natural advantages. Known to get out over his feet and lunge. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile takes care to note the athletic potential before offsetting them against shortcomings going to pad level, lack of core and drive strength, and overall inconsistency. My verdict? A boom-or-bust prospect in Round 4, who will either “get it” and become a quality starter in Year 3-5, or someone who will be off the team by the end of Year 3. Interviews will matter to see why he is taking so long to understand the craft. |
| 4:16 | OT Carter Warren, Pitt (RS Senior). 6’5½”, 311 lbs. with crazy long 35⅜” arms and 9” hands. Turned 24 in January. Team captain. The man on Kenny Pickett’s blindside in college, Warren is big, strong, long, athletic, and has really good hand-fighting skills at the end of outrageous length. But he lost his 2022 season to an unidentified injury back in October that was severe enough for him to still be going through rehab in February, and may keep him from practicing until the 2023 season. A team captain and a fine human being off the field, he could do with being a little nastier while he’s on it. Josh Carney’s gif-supported Depot scouting report contrasts his stunningly good skills in pass protection against his frankly underwhelming contributions on run downs, when he’s more of a get-in-the-way positional blocker than an O-Lineman who can move unwilling men in a direction they do not want to go. Al Villanueva 2.0? Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile echoes Josh’s up and down the line, adding that Warren “can discombobulate pass rushers with well-timed, independent hands that help maximize his length with punching;” a skill that Pat Meyer tends to emphasize. |
| 4:16 | OG Nick Broeker, Ole Miss (Senior). 6’4”, 305 lbs. with 32½” arms and 9¾” hands. Turns 23 in October. Hey Nick, I have something to put on your greeting card: “Hi, I’m a run blocking Guard. You got something to say about that?” He isn’t particularly mobile, but he is strong, nasty, and able to both dig people out and maneuver himself in their way. Quick enough inside the proverbial phone booth, but limited and vulnerable to the even better quickness of top-notch DL. He also has some obvious size and length issues that may prove to be important against the big DTs found in the AFC North. Alex Kozora’s gif-supported Depot scouting report ends in a Round 4 grade. The TDN scouting profile puts him closer to Round 6. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile sums him up as, “a below-average athlete with above-average play strength and has the talent to become a starting guard in a downhill run scheme.” |
| 4:16 | OG Chandler Zavala, N. Car. St. (RS Senior). 6’3½”, 322 lbs. with 33” arms and 10⅜” hands. Turns 24 just before the draft. According to Tom Mead’s gif-supported Depot scouting report, Zavala is a big, strong, alert Guard who does his job well but may be vulnerable to the quickness of really high-end DTs. He is not just a dig ‘em out power player; also has the agility to pull and handle reach blocks. He just needs to get a little better and a little sounder across the board. Asked for a 1:1 comparison to Kevin Dotson, Tom said, “I think his mental processing is better, plays more physically and sustains blocks more effectively with his hand strength.” Nice prospect. |
| 4:16 | QB Jake Haener, Fresno St. (Senior). 6’0”, 208 lbs. with 9⅜” hands. Will be a 24-year-old rookie. He isn’t a guy you want to bet on, but he’s definitely one you don’t want to bet against. A smaller QB with good athleticism who broke the throwing records set by David and Derek Carr. Nice, tight release and velocity. Very good processor of the game against college defenses. Known for his ability to anticipate breaks and hit tight windows but with consistently less accuracy as the throws start getting past 30-40 yards. Tough as chicken lips but the lack of size is a genuine issue. This December TDN article makes the upside arguments. |
| 4:16 | TE Payne Durham, Purdue (RS Senior). 6’5⅝”, 253 lbs. with 33⅜” arms and 9¾” hands. Turns 23 in June. An effective blocker who enjoys the task. Good hands, with the ability to get up a seam and make tough catches despite very average movement skills. An NFL-level athlete, but no more. This goes to the Sports Illustrated scouting profile, which ends in a Round 4 grade. The TDN scouting profile calls him Round 3 value due to his “impact blocking” along with his toughness, competitive approach, and ability in the red zone. Stock went up at the Senior Bowl where his blocking shined, and his receiving looked quite competent. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile ends in late Day 3 grade based on a need to add strength, with very little faith in his “speed to threaten the seam [or] functional agility to beat coverage underneath.” |
| 4:16 | TE Brenton Strange, Penn St. (RS Junior) [Mtg. at Combine]. 6’3⅞”, 253 lbs. with 31⅛” arms and 9⅝” hands. Turns 23 in late December. [Discounted for the overlap with Connor Heyward]. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile (Round 2-3 grade) describes him as an “H-back option with a compact frame and a nice blend of athleticism and toughness to fuel his game… {T]he demeanor and play strength are where they need to be to succeed.” Tested as a top 10-11% athlete for the TE position. |
| 4:16 | WR Ronnie Bell, Michigan (Senior). 5’11⅝”, 191 lbs. with 31” arms and 9½” hands. Turned 23 in January. A two-year captain for an elite college program who understands the game, runs good routes, gets open, and has decent if not good speed. Punt and kick return experience. Led the team in 2020, and then tore his ACL in 2021. Mostly back to form in 2022. Has had trouble with physical CBs and combat catches and lacks the statistical production you’d expect. A very good return man as well. Josh Carney’s gif-supported Depot scouting report describes him as a reliable, chain-moving possession receiver and ends in a Round 5 grade. The NFL.com scouting profile loves the young man but worries about his speed and ability to separate in the pros. Tested as a 75th percentile athlete with very good burst and COD but with fairly average long speed. |
| 4:16 | WR Jalen Moreno-Cropper, Fresno St. (Senior). [Mtg. at Shrine Bowl] 5’11⅛”, 172 lbs. with 30⅛” arms and 8⅞” hands. Turns 22 in May. A quick, fast, and smart receiver who knows how to release off the line, get open, and brings some punt return prowess for added spice. Tested as a top 30-35% athlete headlined by a 4.40 dash. Played RB as well his Freshman year, which shows in his highly effective jukes and fakes, and QB in H.S., with enough arm to be useful on gadget plays. Ball security is the biggest issue, particularly through contact. He can make difficult catches, so the hands are okay. He just loses the ball after he has it when the big folks come crashing down. Joe Cammarota’s gif-supported Depot scouting report ends in a Round 3-4 grade. The NFL.com scouting profile by Lance Zierlein ends in something more like a Round 4-5 grade. Both reviewers note a tendency to get casual when he isn’t the focus of a play, which won’t fly at the next level. |
| 4:16 | WR/TE Elijah Higgins, Stanford (Senior). 6’3”, 235 lbs. with shorter 31¾’ arms and big 10½”. 22, turns 23 in October. A big slot WR in the mold of JJSS but without as much juice. A fine, top 10% athlete overall, but more smooth than quick. Knows he is big and likes to use it. Likely to succeed better as a situational mismatch player than someone who can line up and beat coverage. Lance Zierlein is a fan based on the NFL.com scouting profile, which ends in something like a Round 3 grade based on a projection that Higgins could become a Move TE instead of a true WR. |
| 4:16 | WR Xavier Hutchinson, Iowa St. (Senior). 6’1⅞”, 203 lbs. with 31⅜” arms and 9⅜” hands. Turns 23 in June. A classic, high floor WR2 who could dominate in college but looks to be only “very good” in the NFL as in very good size, speed, hands, savvy, technique, etc. Dead reliable. Fine route runner. Tested with a basically average athletic profile across the board. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile notes a lot of flashes, a “competitive demeanor and… consistent improvement each year,” but still ends in a Day 3 grade based on “average speed and ball skills [that] force him into a lot of contested catch situations.” |
| 4:16 | WR Rakim Jarrett, Maryland (Junior). 5’11⅞”, 192 lbs. with 31⅜” arms and 9⅜” hands. Turned 22 in January. Jonathan Heitritter’s gif-supported Depot scouting report describes him as your classic good-at-everything receiver who lacks that one superpower to make him something special. His most attractive features are the versatility that comes with that kind of profile, and his all-out effort, all-the-time approach to the game. There is no point, ever, where he makes thinks easy for an opposing defender, especially when he has the ball in his hands. A solid prospect for any team seeking a WR3/4 who will make any team culture a little bit better. The TDN scouting profile agrees in every particular, ending with an identical Round 4 grade. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile is more critical, ending in a Round 5-7 grade and the comment, “he’s a better athlete than receiver as he enters the draft, but he does have athletic tools for cultivation if a team can get it done.” |
| 4:16 | WR Charlie Jones, Purdue (RS Senior). 5’11⅜”, 175 lbs. with 31⅝” arms and 9” hands. Turns 25 in October. The NFL.com scouting profile describes him as a classic possession receiver with enough feel for the open space in a zone and how to position his body to be sure of a chain moving role… if only he could get past “his lack of suddenness and blow-by speed.” Enter the Combine, where he put up good to great scores in both the speed and COD drills. This suggests he could end up being better as a pro than he was in college. |
| 4:16 | WR Puka Nacua, BYU (Junior). 6’2”, 201 lbs. with 31½” arms and 9½” hands. Turns 22 in May. Yes, Puka is one of my draft crushes of the year. Why? Because he deserves to be, that’s why! Nacua is a tough, nasty, old-school physical possession receiver who could legitimately model his game on Hines Ward’s, right down to the love of blocking. Tom Mead’s gif-supported Depot scouting report prefers JuJu Smith-Schuster as a comp, but you know what? Either one will do. Fine hands but needs to work on his route running and has average athletic talent when measured against NFL receivers. The speed is acceptable but far from special. The NFL.com scouting profile is more cynical, ending in something like a Round 5-6 grade due to issues with his ability to separate against NFL coverage experts. |
| 4:16 | WR Parker Washington, Penn. St. (Junior) [Mtg. at Combine]. 5’10”, 204 lbs. with very short 29” arms and big 10⅛” hands. Turned 21 on March 21. Josh Dobbs’ cousin. A WR who’s built like a RB with fantastic hands, and a true RB’s contact balance. He just doesn’t go down for anything but a very solid tackle. But… where are the numbers to match up with those assets? Tyler Wise’s gif-supported Depot scouting report suggests that limited agility may be one key factor, tied in with very elementary route running that could derive from the same flaw. Tyler used Amari Rodgers as the player comp, a prospect who thrilled draftniks two years ago (2021 draft) with his WR/RB build but who has never clicked in the NFL. Another issue may be his somewhat laughable blocking skills. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile provides this summary: “Washington plays with well-developed ball skills and the toughness needed to make challenging catches, but finding open windows against man coverage will be difficult, due to his lack of shake and separation.” |
| 4:16 | DT Karl Brooks, Bowling Green (Senior). 6’3⅜”, 303 lbs. with 32¼” arms and 9” hands. Turns 23 in May. A dominant 4-3 DE from the MAC who wracked up big plays like pennies in the change jar, his combination of size, burst, power, and an array of counter moves was just too much to handle. But is that first step good enough for the NFL? And is he a tweener who is too big to play as a 3-4 OLB, while lacking the length and pure power to double as a DT? It is hard to see how he would fit in Pittsburgh. Looked tremendous at the Senior Bowl but snubbed for the Combine. Coach Karl Dunbar was at his Pro Day. |
| 4:18 | STEELERS ROUND 4 PICK (# 118 OVERALL) |
| 5:01 | NT/DT Nesta Jade Silvera, Arizona St. (RS Senior). 6’2”, 304 lbs. with 32⅞” arms and 9⅞” hands. Turned 23 in January. In college, and at the Senior Bowl, he was so monstrously strong that he could toss O-Linemen out of his way on a regular basis. That strength, combined with very good burst, makes him a titan on run-stuffing downs. He won’t provide much rush on his own, but his bull rush can be enough to keep QBs from climbing the pocket. |
| 5:01 | EDGE/DT Adetomiwa Adebawore, Northwestern (Senior). 6’1”, 275 lbs. with 33⅞” arms and 10½” hands. Turns 22 just before the draft. Team captain. [Discounted for lack of fit]. A great athlete who overwhelmed college athletes with his straight-line burst, strength, length, and nonstop motor out of a low, four-point stance. From the Steelers’ POV he is sort of like DeMarvin Leal; a hybrid DL/Edge to move all around the alignment. Not an OLB because he lacks the flexibility needed to bend the corner or succeed in coverage. The Combine proved the straight-line athleticism but the question marks have always gone more to agility, bend, and COD. Aside from the lack of Pittsburgh fit, Ross McCorkle’s gif-supported Depot scouting report also notes delays caused by mental processing time. |
| 5:01 | EDGE Viliami “Junior” Fehoko Jr., San Jose St. (RS Senior). 6’3⅝”, 276 lbs. with 33” arms and 8⅞” hands. Turns 24 in December. A strong, violent power rusher with decent agility and a nasty spin he can use as the counter. What he lacks is special burst off the snap and bend around the corner. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile views him as a Round 5-ish hybrid who could stay where he is and play 4-3 DE or add some weight to be a hybrid DT/EDGE player in the DeMarvin Leal mold. Tom Mead’s gif-supported Depot scouting report thinks he could drop 10-15 lbs. and move to 3-4 OLB, which is what the Steelers would do if he wanted to make this particular team. |
| 5:01 | EDGE Thomas Incoom, Central Mich. (Junior). 6’2¼”, 265 lbs. with 33” arms and 9⅛” hands. Turned 24 in February. An all-star pass rusher in the MAC who would have a much higher grade if he’d done his work at a BCS school. Strike that — 11½ sacks and 18½ TFL’s in 12 games? He’d be a round 1 pick if the competition had been good enough. Incoom plays with excellent balance, rarely ending up on the ground, and has an unending motor who pursues plays to the echo of the whistle. He also fires off the ball well with good snap anticipation. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile considers him a natural 3-4 OLB, saying that Incoom’s “face-up rushing style is neither elusive nor particularly creative, and [that] many of his sacks over the last two seasons have come thanks to his strong, secondary effort.” Sets the edge well against the run. The question marks go primarily to those LOC concerns, doubts about his ability to play as a 4-3 DE at the next level, and questions about his ceiling. Looked pretty good at the Senior Bowl. The TDN scouting profile ends with a Round 3 grade. See also this February TDN interview, which gets into some football details. |
| 5:01 | Buck ILB SirVocea Dennis, Pitt (Senior). 6’0½”, 226 lbs. with 32⅞” arms and big 10⅝” hands. Pitt’s team captain, he is a smart, instinctive, athletic, and versatile leader with tremendous play recognition and instincts; but also so much aggression that while he makes big plays can also be fooled by smart QBs. Also has a problem with overshooting some plays completely and is poor at deconstructing blocks; when an OL gets him, he stays gotten. A very good blitzer with sideline-to-sideline range. Hasn’t been asked to do much in coverage but seems to have enough basic athleticism to learn the job eventually. This goes to a January scouting profile from a Giants POV, with an embedded 10-minute video. Here is the TDN scouting profile, which ends in a Round 4 grade based in part on the near certainty that Dennis would be a special teams ace. Tyler Wise’s gif-supported Depot scouting report ends in a 5th Round grade based on “lateral speed, closing ability, and exceptional tackling” set against “size and strength limitations” and the fact that he’s never really been asked to do any coverage duties. The NFL.com scouting profile agrees: “Dennis’ special teams potential aids his chances of becoming an NFL backup, but he doesn’t have size or athleticism that stands out.” |
| 5:01 | Buck ILB/EDGE Isaiah Land, Florida A&M (Senior). 6’3½”, 236 lbs. with 32½” arms and 9½” hands. Turned 23 in February. A tremendous small-school Edge Rusher in college who will have no choice but to move inside as a pro, to off-ball LB where he had never played a snap until the Senior Bowl. A blitzer from hell for sure but not likely to help as a position player for quite some time. According to this Raiders-oriented scouting profile from just after the Senior Bowl (and my eyes), Land quite predictably struggled at the new position though he did flash when allowed to rush off the edge. His ideal fit for special-teams work raises the floor significantly; he may be a Day 3 position player, but he’s a Day 2 football player. This goes to an exceptional Alex Kozora interview/analysis from the Senior Bowl. This goes to the NFL.com scouting profile. |
| 5:01 | ILB Anfernee Orji, Vanderbilt (Senior). 6’1”, 230 lbs. with 32” arms and 10¼” hands. Turns 23 in October. A high-energy, urgent player who misses far too many tackles and seems to have poor instincts. Ideal special-teams potential. His tremendous, top 10% Combine performance caused a real stir, because it wasn’t clear on film. Has a real knack for slipping blocks but misses too many tackles. |
| 5:01 | ILB Dee Winters, TCU (Senior). 5’11”, 227 lbs. with 31⅝” arms and 8⅝” hands. Turns 23 in October. The lack of size restricts his overall athletic profile, but he ran excellent top 5% times at the Combine. He’d be a Round 3-4 prospect if it was all about running, tackling, blitzing, and covering, but the distinct lack of height and length make him extremely vulnerable to good blockers. There are ways to solve that with sheer aggression but it’s something he needs to learn. |
| 5:01 | SS DeMarcco Hellams, Alabama (Senior). 6’0⅝”, 203 lbs. with 31” arms and 9” hands. Turns 23 in June. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile describes an experienced but limited Safety with “a chance to become a good backup and plus special teams player.” The TDN scouting profile can be summarized as “classic Box Safety for a team that has a good Free Safety to cover his shortcomings,” which was enough to earn a Round 3 grade. |
| 5:01 | S Quindell Johnson, Memphis (RS Junior). 6’1”, 194 lbs. with 32¼” arms and 9⅜” hands. Will turn 24 as a rookie. A classic Safety who wraps ‘em up and puts ‘em down from multiple spots on the field — when he isn’t being blocked. A major Combine snub. |
| 5:01 | CB/S Jakorian Bennett, Maryland (Senior). 5’10⅝”, 188 lbs. with 31⅞” arms and 9⅛” hands. Turns 23 in August. A physical presence and willing tackler, the issues come up in limited COD, which tends to make him extra grabby. Tested as a superb top 4% athlete with 4.3 speed, which was much better than expected. Also has experience as a Nickel DB and Safety, with signs of a high football IQ. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile identifies several inconsistencies in his technique, including lack of “the needed anticipation and discipline to stay connected to NFL route runners.” |
| 5:01 | T/G Alex Palczewski, Illinois (Senior). 6’6”, 314 lbs. with 33⅜” arms and 9¼” hands. 23. Turns 24 in August. Team captain. Tom Mead’s nice, gif-supported Depot scouting report summarizes Palczewski as a capable Tackle with good upside, held back by several small but important gaps. Core strength would be #1. After that it’s the myriad of technical details needed to stabilize his game and prevent the holding penalties and false starts that happen from his shortcomings. Aggressive mindset with very good versatility and overall athleticism. Tom ends in a Round 6 grade, but I’ve bumped that up a little because the issues seem fixable enough to project him as a valuable, four-position, utility man with some upside. |
| 5:01 | C/G Jake Andrews, Troy (Senior). 6’2¾”, 305 lbs. with short 32⅞” arms and big 10” hands. Turns 24 in November. A powerful, small-school player with excellent size and an anchor to match but limited athleticism and foot speed when measured on an NFL scale. |
| 5:01 | QB Max Duggan, TCU (Senior). 6’1½”, 207 lbs. with 9⅞” hands. Turned 22 earlier this month. The leader who took TCU to the CFB finals, Duggan reads the RPO keys very well, can run quite well when that’s the opening, and has enough arm to make all the throws. Inconsistent accuracy is the biggest concern. Also dinged for his pocket presence under pressure and his ability to read shifting defenses post-snap, but those are common flaws for a rookie. |
| 5:01 | TE Will Mallory, Miami (Senior). 6’4½”, 239 lbs. with 32¼” arms and 9⅜” hands. Turns 24 in June. A solid but not special TE who could be better after a few years in an NFL training room to add some grown-man strength. Decent skills across the board but only decent. Coach’s son. Compiled a top 10% athletic profile despite being undersized, which bodes well for his future chances as a Move TE. |
| 5:01 | TE Blake Whiteheart, Wake Forest (RS Senior) [Mtg. at Combine]. 6’3¾”, 247 lbs. with 32⅛” arms and 8¾” hands. Turned 23 in March. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile includes a lot of the cheat code clues we tend to look for in TE’s who are likely to outplay their draft position. “Whiteheart has below-average size and mass for a blocking tight end, but he makes up for it with above-average grit and technique,… [is] a better pass-catcher than the production might indicate,… [and] shows impressive concentration and soft hands when the ball comes his way.” Tested as a top 18% athlete held back by limited size. |
| 5:01 | RB Tank Bigsby, Auburn (Junior). 6’0”, 210 lbs. with 32” arms and 9½” hands. 21, turns 22 in August. My two favorite assets in a RB are vision and contact balance. Check and check. Bigsby hits the hole hard, squirms through, and doesn’t go down easy. Has the knack of accelerating off his cuts, and suddenly popping even in a straight line. Not a burner or terribly shifty, Jacob Harrison’s gif-supported Depot scouting report ends in a Round 4 grade, with a note that “he comes off rather bland as a prospect” but should be a fine help on special teams if nothing else. |
| 5:01 | RB Eric Gray, Oklahoma (Senior). 5’9½”, 207 lbs. with 29⅝” arms and 9¾” hands. 23, turns 24 in November. Per Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile, Gray is a ˆdecisive, creative runner with the size and skill set for three-down consideration on the pro level. Gray won’t be a home run hitter in the open field, but his short-area burst and oily hips open access to the entire field, with cuts coming suddenly and at unpredictable angles.” Good receiver too. |
| 5:01 | RB Roschon Johnson, Texas (Senior). 6’0”, 219 lbs. with 32” arms and 9⅝” hands. It’s hard to imagine the Steelers drafting a RB in 2023, but if they were going to do so, Johnson might well be the guy. He has very little in the way of stats because he played behind a generational talent in Bijan Robinson, but he is a Steelers type of back to the core. Runs hard with surprising shiftiness, is utterly reliable as a blocker to pick up blitzes, and has decent hands. In any other year we’d be talking him up in a major way. |
| 5:01 | RB Kenny McIntosh, Georgia (Senior). 6’0”, 204 lbs. with 30½” arms and 9” hands. Will be a 23 year old rookie. Runs hard, blocks like a demon, catches well out of the backfield, but has never made himself into a dominant #1. He’d be an ideal RB2 behind Harris if the Steelers did not have one. |
| 5:01 | RB Tyjae Spears, Tulane (Senior). 5’9”, 201 lbs. with 30¾” arms and 10” hands. 21, turns 22 in June. Short but not small, and with very good eyes, patience, and grit. Highly productive. The sort who will get the 1-3 yards his OL gives him, turn 4-6 yard gains into 8-10, but won’t turn the 10 yarders into home runs. |
| 5:01 | RB Sean Tucker, Syracuse (Senior). 5’10”, 207 lbs. with 30” arms and 9½” hands. 21, turns 22 in October. World class speed in a RB who isn’t particularly small. |
| 5:01 | WR Matt Landers, Arkansas (Senior). 6’4⅜”, 200 lbs. with 32½” arms and 9¼” hands. 23, turns 24 in June. Compiled a super impressive top 1% athletic profile at the Combine, he’s described as an unrefined developmental prospect with upside by Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile. |
| 5:01 | WR Trey Palmer, Nebraska by way of LSU (Senior). 6’0”, 192 lbs. with 31⅞” arms and 9⅝” hands. 21, turns 22 in April. A tremendous athlete with 4.33 speed that can be seen on tape, he has never managed to develop his craft well enough to get open with technique instead of talent, or to break free of Corners who have that technique. Boom or bust. |
| 5:01 | WR Bryce Ford-Wheaton, W. Va. (RS Senior). 6’4”, 221 lbs. with 33½” arms and 9⅜” hands. Turned 23 in March. An astonishing Combine performance put him in the top ½ of 1% for pure athleticism – ever, with athletic comps like Calvin Johnson, Andre Chonson, plus our own measurable-kings Chase Claypool and Miles Boykin. As a wide receiver…? He plays like a really fast, really tall athlete who can get downfield, leap high, and win a lot of 50/50 balls. |
| 5:16 | DT Tyler Lacy, Okla. St. (RS Senior). 6’4”, 279 lbs. (down from a reported 285-290) with 33¼” arms and big 10⅞” hands. 23, turns 24 in November. [Discounted for lack of fit] A decent top 25% athlete who seems like a lesser version of the DeMarvin Leal prototype. He has decent burst and penetration ability, with good hand fighting technique, but he lacks the size and strength to anchor well if asked to play on the inside down after down. |
| 5:16 | DT Jalen Redmond, Oklahoma (Junior). 6’2”, 291 lbs. with 32⅝” arms and 10⅛” hands. 24 years old as of March. Originally a 5 star recruit, the native athleticism can be seen in his brilliant 96th percentile RAS score (which would have been higher if he was taller and/or heavier). But you won’t see it on the tape, which creates the yin/yang essence of his profile. He does have good burst, and can play with both quickness and power when allowed to be a pure penetrator. No one will ever question the motor, either. But where are the results? Is it really just a matter of learning to maintain a low pad level? The grade here amounts to a pure boom or bust bet; the classic case of measurables vs. film. Here is Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile. |
| 5:16 | EDGE Brenton Cox Jr., Florida by way of Georgia (RS Senior). 6’3⅞”, 250 lbs. with 33⅛” arms and 9¼” hands. Will be 23 on draft day. An easy Round 2 talent with a past that will drop him down to who knows where. A 5 star athlete who got snaps for Georgia even as a true Freshman, he was dropped for a combination of a marijuana arrest and general disruption. Transferred to Florida where he looked fantastic, before getting dropped there too for throwing a punch, which was apparently the final straw after several unspecified events that never went public. The on-field physical profile is a great fit to the model Steelers OLB. The off field profile? That’s where the questions come up, and we are in no position to penetrate that fog. Tested as a top 30% athlete, which was actually disappointing. According to Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile, “he has some bend-and-dip athleticism as a rusher, [but] he’s primarily a brute-force attacker currently lacking the game plan or counters to beat offensive tackles possessing a quality anchor.” |
| 5:16 | EDGE Truman Jones, Harvard (Senior). 6’2¾”, 251 lbs. with 33⅝” arms and 10” hands. 22, turns 23 in May. Tom Mead’s gif-supported Depot scouting report describes Jones as a smart, athletic prospect who projects as a true 3-4 OLB. The issues come down to all the unknowns of targeting an Ivy League player whose film shows absolute domination of opponents who won’t ever sniff an NFL backup position. A nice developmental prospect who should be able to play special teams while he tries to get up to speed. |
| 5:16 | EDGE Ochaun Mathis, Nebraska by way of TCU (Senior). 6’4½”, 257 lbs. with ___” arms and ___” hands. Turned 24 in January. List the assets and you’ll say, “Oh boy, a natural Steelers OLB!” Burst, bend, length, decent technique, and the smooth athleticism to fall back into coverage. But there is a major flaw. Everything falls to pieces when his opponent lands a blow too; enough so to see phrases like “startling lack of play strength.” A fine pick despite the age if you think he can add enough strength, but a do-not-touch if you believe it can’t. |
| 5:16 | ILB Jeremy Banks, Tennessee (Senior). 6’0¾”, 232 lbs. with 32” arms and 9½” hands. 23 years old, turns 24 in September. Jacob Harrison’s gif-supported Depot scouting report describes a Day 3 player who has good athleticism, but isn’t quite there when it comes to the mental part of this very demanding position. Very good special teams ability gives a fairly decent floor. The NFL.com scouting profile sees “a likely two-down backup who might come off the field on passing downs but run back out for special teams reps.” |
| 5:16 | Mack ILB Dorian Williams, Tulane (Senior) [Mtg. w/ LB Coach]. 6’1”, 228 lbs. with long 33¾” arms and big 10¼” hands. 21, turns 22 in June. Team captain and three year starter who led the ACC in tackles for both 2020 and 2022. A competent 4-3 Mike (middle) LB and team leader in college, who is supposed to blitz well, and have good straight line speed and coverage ability, but has some notable play strength issues and is poor at getting off blocks. Projects as a good, core special teamer who could grow into backup ILB duties after a year or two of work with NFL coaches and in an NFL training room. This goes to a nice February scouting profile that ends with a Round 5 grade. Has had a few meetings with Steelers LB coach Aaron Curry. “ Williams looks and moves more like a big box safety with his bursts to the football and open-field fluidity, [but lacks] the size and strength to match up with NFL take-on duties near the line,” according to Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile. The TDN scouting profile highlights the movement skills, coverage ability, and special teams prowess while warning that “Williams struggles to take on and play through contact.” This Bleacher Report scouting profile says, “he doesn’t have a specialty as far as being a coverage ‘backer or run defender,” and holds up his tackling as a major asset. “Well-rounded, assignment-sound, and a reliable overall tackler,” according to this February Sports Illustrated scouting profile. |
| 5:16 | SS Trey Dean III, Florida (Senior) [Mtg. at Combine]. 6’2⅛”, 200 lbs. with 31¾” arms and 9” hands. Turned 23 in February. As Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile puts it, Dean is a “big, long safety with good athleticism and toughness but a troubling lack of assignment awareness.” He’s the sort of player you look for as a Day 3 flier with wonderful upside and a special teams floor. The pure athletic talent shows in the fact that he’s taken significant snaps at Corner, Free Safety, Strong Safety, and Nickel ILB. Hard to get more versatile than that! His best fit at the next level will probably be as a nominal Strong Safety who begins his career as a special teams demon while he spends a few years learning to play NFL level defense. To twist a Tomlinism, Dean is athletic, fast and ferocious, but needs to learn from someone who knows when to say, “whoa.” |
| 5:16 | SS Kaevon Merriweather, Iowa (RS Senior). 6’0”, 205 lbs. with 31⅞” arms and 9¼” hands. 23, turns 24 in December. A high character, try hard player with NFL size, but a lack of pure speed and some hesitation in his decision making. Allowed only an 11% passer rating in the plays where he was targeted, so I guess his coverage skills hold up. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile grades him as a potential backup. That is consistent with his basically average RAS score (with no agility tests). |
| 5:16 | CB Alex Austin, Oregon St. (RS Junior). 6’1”, 195 lbs. with 31⅞” arms and small 8½” hands. 22, turns 23 in May. Good size and a well balanced skill set make him profile as a fine, developmental Corner. OTOH, each of those areas is just a bit shy of what you want, which means he faces a lot of work to make any team before Year 2. |
| 5:16 | CB Nic Jones, Ball St. (Senior). 6’0”, 189 lbs. with 32⅜” arms and 10” hands. 21, turns 22 in October. A well rounded player with the playmaker gene, but technically raw and in need of at least one redshirt year to bring himself up to a minimum NFL standard. |
| 5:16 | T/G Braeden Daniels, Utah (RS Senior). 6’4”, 294 lbs. with 33” arms and 9⅜” hands. 22, turns 23 in August. A college Tackle who will probably move inside as a pro, and projects best as an outside zone player. He actually looks most like a Center, though I don’t know if he has ever played the position. His top 5% athletic score is all about speed, agility, and explosion rather than size and strength. Discounted by a solid round or two because Pittsburgh plays the wrong style from his POV. This goes to Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile. |
| 5:16 | OT Connor Galvin, Baylor (Senior). 6’6”, 293 lbs. with short 32⅜” arms and 9” hands. ___ years old as of March. Won Big 12 OL of the Year in 2021. All around solid, but his lack of length may be an issue at the next level. Average athleticism, though he is surprisingly nimble in space. One of the best linemen at the Shrine Bowl. |
| 5:16 | QB Hendon Hooker, Tennessee (Senior). 6’3”, 217 lbs. with 10½” hands. Will be 25 on draft day (6 months older than Kenny Pickett), and will not be able to play in 2023 due to a torn ACL at the end of 2022. The size, athleticism, and arm strength are all good, and (for once) there’s also consistent mechanics. He’d be a Round 2 prospect if not for three big issues: (1) he played in a college offense that calls for nothing like the skills he’ll need in the NFL, (2) he is much older than the Steelers usually look for, and (3) the torn ACL means he will be 26 before setting foot on an NFL field even for practice. He’s the author of the book, The ABC’s of Scripture for Athletes for children to “stay encouraged while battling the roller coaster events of what life can bring.” |
| 5:16 | WR Derius Davis, TCU (Senior). 5’8⅜”, 165 lbs. with 29¼” arms and 8” hands. 22, turns 23 in September. A CB who moved to the offense, Davis will have early value as a punt & kick returner. On offense, he was TCU’s just get him the ball gadget guy, and will likely serve the same role in the NFL. Easy 4.3-something speed. |
| 5:16 | WR Dontay Demus Jr., Maryland (Senior). 6’3”, 212 lbs. with astonishing 34¼” arms and 9¾” hands. 22, turns 23 in September. Another Day 3 giant with the height, strength, physicality, and hands to win jump ball contests, but not the size, speed, agility, or craft to be more than a role player who looks like he could succeed on special teams too. |
| 5:16 | WR Antoine Green, Maryland (Senior). 6’1¾”, 199 lbs. with 32⅛” arms and 9” hands. 23, turns 24 in November. A well rounded, top 20%, multisport athlete with good wiring and the ability to make difficult catches while getting his feet in bounds. But he’s also limited to being a deep-threat guy who will need to become a special teams ace if he wants to hold onto a roster spot long enough to build some skills. |
| 5:16 | WR Justin Shorter, Florida (RS Senior). 6’4”, 229 lbs. with 33¾” arms and 10” hands. Turns 23 just before the draft. Tested as an impressive top 8% athlete overall, Shorter is a big, tall, and tough field stretcher who knows his size and uses it. His lack of pure speed and route running sophistication limit his projection to being a useful depth receiver who may also be a special teams ace. |
| 6:01 | DT D.J. Dale, Alabama (Senior). 6’0⅞”, 302 lbs.with 32⅞” arms and 9¾” hands. 22, turns 23 in October. A 1-tech NT in college who suffered from his lack of both good length and exceptional size. That makes him a difficult projection for the NFL. |
| 6:01 | NT/DT PJ Mustipher, Penn St. (Senior). 6’3⅞”, 320 lbs. with short 32¾” arms and 9” hands. 24, turns 25 in November. A squat, immensely powerful, 2-down, run-stuffing Nose Tackle who makes up for his short arms with A-level hand fighting skill and an A+ motor. Holds up well against double teams when he keeps his pads low (usually but not always), and has decent agility for a big man, though he is more of a space eater than a penetrator. The lack of length makes it harder for him to shed blocks versus holding up against them, so he is more likely to rack up ILB tackles than to pad his own stats. Models his game after Cam Heyward. Age (he turns 25 in November) may be an issue for the youth loving Steelers. |
| 6:01 | EDGE Ali Gaye, LSU (Senior). 6’6”, 263 lbs. with very long 34¼” arms and 9½” hands. 24, turns 25 in November. [Discounted for age] A junior college player, originally from Gambia, who stepped up to become the Size L half of LSU’s pass rush, with B.J. Ojulari as the finesse guy. Relies on a nonstop motor, tremendous length, a feeling for others’ balance point (despite his own issues in that department), and an array of counters; but is he a true NFL athlete as well? Some professional strength training would also make a big difference, since it fits his profile and approach but pure power hasn’t been his forte, and the NFL.com scouting profile notes that “tackles with power tend to give him an inordinate amount of trouble.” Ross McCorkle’s gif-supported Depot scouting report describes him as an admirable project you’d love to have on your team to see what he’d become in Year 3 – which would be a fine plan if not for the age issue. |
| 6:01 | EDGE Lonnie Phelps, Kansas by way of Miami (OH) (Junior) [Mtg. at Combine]. 6’2⅜”, 244 lbs. (251 at the Shrine Bowl) with 32⅜” arms and 9¼” hands. 22, turns 23 in August. One of those overachieving pass rushers who win by pure will, an endless motor, and the ability to string moves together until the cows come home. Has all the athletic assets, achieving a top 15% athletic profile based on substandard size and top 7-8% speed (no leaps or agility tests). Good enough burst to often win the edge, and good enough bend to dip and rip if he gets that edge, but neither is eye popping. Good enough speed-to-power to win on bull rushes if the Tackle is looking for a move. Etc. The weakness is in run support. He’ll annoy OL’s to death when they have to receive him, which makes it a joy when they get to throw him out of the bar; which many of them can. Needs some serious strength training. |
| 6:01 | EDGE Jose Ramirez, E. Michigan (RS Senior). 6’1⅞”, 242 lbs. (249 at the Shrine Bowl) with 32¾” arms and 8¾” hands. 23, turns 24 in May. Team captain. A Shrine Bowl standout who displayed a decent set of pass rush moves to take advantage of good burst and excellent bend, both of which are actually enhanced by his stature just like James Harrison used to do (without the unearthly power). This goes to a Shrine Bowl interview with Steeler Depot’s Joe Clark, which points out his knack for creating forced fumbles. The NFL.com scouting profile sums it up like this: “Ramirez’s below-average run defense could make it difficult for him to see the field early in his career, but he blends a hot motor and natural rush talent that could entice teams willing to continue his development.” |
| 6:01 | ILB Cam Jones, Indiana (Senior). 6’1”, 226 lbs. with 31¼” arms and 9½” hands. 23 years old, turns 24 in October. 3-time team captain. For short and sweet, I quote from the NFL.com scouting profile: “He lacks ideal size, length and speed but has the demeanor and feel needed to become a solid backup and core special teams performer.” Drop the mic. His very poor size grades pulled down the overall athletic grade below the slightly better than average times in the dash. |
| 6:01 | ILB Aubrey Miller Jr., Jackson St. (Senior). 5’11⅝”, 229 lbs. with 30½” arms and 9” hands. ___ years old, turns __ in October. Described by the S.I. scouting profile as a “sturdy downhill thumper” with limited speed and agility when measured on an NFL scale. The TDN scouting profile ends in a Round 6 grade for a “special teams savant” who will take some time to learn the position. He did catch the eye of Steelers scout Ike Taylor at the Senior Bowl. |
| 6:01 | SS/Mack ILB Charlie Thomas, Georgia Tech. (Senior). 6’3”, 216 lbs. with 31½” arms and 8½” hands. Turned 23 in January. A greatly undersized Mack ILB/Safety tweener, whose main issue is size. He has a Safety build it will be hard to bulk up to ILB size, and it shows whenever he’s asked to deal with blockers. The upside is good top 20% athleticism when run as an ILB, headlined by top 5% speed. The results are (top 13% and top 10-12% when run as a Strong Safety. His coverage skills as a Safety are substandard, however, which means he looks like your true tweener who will need to earn his NFL spot on special teams rather than as a position player. |
| 6:01 | OT Ryan Hayes, Michigan (RS Senior) 6’7”, 298 lbs. with short 32½” arms and 10″ hands. Turned 23 in February. Michigan won the award for best college OL two years in a row, and Hayes was the starting LT for both years. Solid athlete who had ups and downs at the Senior Bowl. Looks like a nice swing tackle for the future, with a chance of starting if he can master all the tricks to get around the arm length issue, and also pack on the requisite muscle to anchor against the NFL’s super strong monsters. |
| 6:01 | OT Kadeem Telfort, UAB by way of Florida (Senior). 6’7”, 319 lbs. with massive 35⅞” arms smallish 8½” hands. 24, turns 25 in November. Wonderful natural gifts, including some fairly astonishing length. He also mirrors and moves extremely well. The downgrade comes from Telfort’s role in a massive credit card scandal when he was a Florida freshman. He was charged with 30 counts of criminal fraud relating to $20,000 of purchases that ranged from iPads to Gummy Worms. It was a huge scandal back in the day, and he seems to have been the ringleader. So was he a serious criminal, or a stupid college freshman who committed criminal acts? My life experience suggests the second, so the big question is this: has he outgrown his stupidity along with his youth? The Florida justice system seems to think so. For all the furor, he ended up with a plea deal to one 3rd-degree felony plus probation and court costs. Make your own judgment. He sounds like an impressive young man in this interview with Depot’s Joe Clark at the Shrine Bowl. |
| 6:01 | QB Malik Cunningham, Louisville (Senior). 5’11¾”, 192 lbs. with 9½” hands. 24, turns 25 in October. A frankly small QB with awesome production, good arm talent, and the ability to run like a WR. Think “poor man’s Lamarr Jackson.” Has some notable accuracy issues, but they seem to be tied in with his faulty mechanics, which means he could really improve in this department. His grade would be much higher if there was any sign of a willingness to play the Slash role while trying to learn the ropes as a QB. |
| 6:01 | QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson (Senior). 6’1⅝”, 203 lbs. with 9 ⅞” hands. 23, turns 24 in November. Chandler Stroud’s gif-supported Depot scouting report describes DTR as a viable QB/athlete whose main problem lies in the fact that his mechanics fall apart when he’s pressured inside the pocket. That’s a deal killer for the NFL, but it’s also one of the things we know can be fixed with hard, repetitive work and focused practice. A solid, top 25% athlete with excellent straight line speed. Opponents will need to appoint a spy to keep him under control. The question is whether he can learn to beat an NFL defense with his arm even when he has that extra man advantage. |
| 6:01 | RB Chase Brown, Illinois (Junior). 5’9½”, 209 lbs. with 31” arms and 10” hands. 22, turns 23 in November. Whack!, bam!, boom!, and zip! with the ball in his hands and a decent receiver, but not a good blocker, which could limit his overall utility. Home run hitter with top 1% burst and excellent long speed. |
| 6:01 | RB Evan Hull, Northwestern (RS Junior). 5’10⅛”, 209 lbs. with 30⅝” arms and 9¼” hands. 22, turns 23 in October. I almost wish we needed a RB, because Hull would make for a fun conversation. His tape shows “below-average explosiveness but decent downhill power.” Late Day 3, right? Then came the Combine, where he tested across the board as a top 10% athlete even when measured against NFL RB’s, with tremendous explosiveness. |
| 6:01 | RB DeWayne McBride, Tulsa (RS Senior). 5’10”, 209 lbs. with 30⅝” arms and 9½” hands. 21, turns 22 in July. A solid, all around RB who’d be a good fit in Pittsburgh if not for the overcrowded room, some loose ball handling that needs to be cleaned up, and lack of experience as a receiving weapon. Could also use some extra power through the hole. |
| 6:16 | DT Dante Stills, W. Va. (Senior). 6’3½”, 286 lbs. with 32⅜” arms and 9⅝” hands. 23, turns 24 in December. The sort of player who’d make a great DT 4/5, subbing in as rotational depth who can hold the line without being expected to make positive additions. A top 15% athlete with exceptional speed and agility, he is small for a DT and doesn’t have the frame to add more mass. That is the key factor that limits his upside for a team like the Steelers, especially with his lack of the desired height and length. |
| 6:16 | EDGE Habakkuk Baldonado, Pitt (Senior). 6’4¼”, 251 lbs. with 33” arms and 10½” hands. 23, turns 24 in September. Native of Rome, Italy who played only one year of football in HS after moving to the U.S. in 2017. A multisport, top 20% athlete who projects best as a 4-3 DE with good burst and a strong bull rush, offset by limited bend, and superior skill at setting the edge in run support. Could be a little too linear to play well as an OLB, though he has rushed from a 2 point stance without any real loss in effectiveness. Still very raw when it comes to all the technical aspects like hand fighting, rush plan, etc. |
| 6:16 | EDGE Tyrus Wheat, Miss. St. (Senior) [Mtg. at Combine]. 6’2”, 263 lbs. with 32⅞” arms and 9” hands. Decent burst with a bit of bend, good strength to hold the edge, plus enough athletic juice to drop back into coverage, equals a viable 3-4 OLB prospect. The hand fighting technique is weak, and Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile hits him fairly hard for [paraphrasing] “a disappointing lack of football instincts.” |
| 6:16 | ILB Jalen Graham, Purdue (Senior). 6’1⅞”, 220 lbs. with 33” arms and 9⅞” hands. Turned 22 in January. A hybrid Safety/ILB in college (he played the “Star” position), Graham will want to add 10 pounds of good muscle in the pros and transition to ILB. The NFL.com scouting profile ends in a Round 5-ish grade, with great praise for his instincts, aggression, and “all-day energy and physicality.” A poor 35th percentile athletic score, with weak coverage skills, won’t help his case any. |
| 6:16 | S Brandon Hill, Pitt (RS Junior). 5’10⅜”, 193 lbs. with 30¾” arms and 9½” hands. 24, turns 25 in May. [Discount applied for age]. An enforcer who likes nothing more than flying down from 20 yards away like a two legged guillotine, but doesn’t wrap up when he gets there. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile worries about far too many mistakes for such an IQ-intensive position. The TDN scouting profile would agree with the guided missile approach, but ends in a Round 3 grade based on a better view of his instincts and the unquestioned potential as a special teamer |
| 6:16 | S Daniel Scott, California (RS Senior). 6’0⅞”, 208 lbs. with 30¼” arms and 10” hands. 24, turns 25 in October.Team captain. Compiled a tremendous top 1-2% athletic profile at the Combine. As Lance Zierlein says in the NFL.com scouting profile, “his age could hurt his chances with some teams, but his athleticism and four-phase special teams background will help him with others.” Here is an interview he did with Alex Kozora during the Combine. |
| 6:16 | OT Earl Bostick, Jr., Kansas (Senior). 6’5¾”, 309 lbs. with 34⅛” arms and 9½” hands. 24, turns 25 on New Year’s eve. Hear the bells, as they chime the Chuks Okorafor stereotype waltz! Bostick is a converted TE who is fairly adept at pass blocking and is plenty mobile, but seemingly less than eager to mix it up in a close quarters running attack. Tested as a top 5% athlete at the Combine. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile suggests lack of upper body strength as the main culprit. The TDN scouting profile agrees: “Bostick’s deficiencies as a player start with what appears to be a lack of functional strength which negatively impacts him as a run blocker and in pass protection.” All of which leads to an easy verdict: pick-and-stash. Let’s see what he looks like after a year or two of professional training. |
| 6:16 | G/T Brandon Kipper, Oregon St. (RS Senior) [Mtg. at NFLPA Bowl]. 6’5⅞”, 326 lbs. with 34⅛” arms and 10⅛” hands. 24, turns 25 in September. Played RT for most of his college career, but moved inside to RG in 2022. A well balanced athlete with no particular weaknesses, just limitations. Good wrestler in HS. |
| 6:16 | OG Sidy Sow, E. Mich. (RS Senior). 6’4¾”, 323 lbs. with 33⅝” arms and 10⅜” hands. 24, turns 25 in June. Quebecois. Another Combine sensation with a top 1% athletic score, he excelled in all four aspects of the testing: size, explosion, speed, and agility alike. Per Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile, Sidy Sow has all the physical assets but, despite extensive experience, has highly inconsistent technique and recognition. |
| 6:16 | OC Juice Scruggs, Penn. St. (RS Senior). 6’3”, 301 lbs. with 33¼” arms and 10¼” hands. Turned 23 in January. As solid as they get with his anchor, but not the guy you want to move an unwilling DT backward, nor to get out in space and pull. Think of your classic NT profile in reverse. The player is better than the grade, but he just doesn’t fit what Pittsburgh wants to do. |
| 6:16 | TE Noah Gindorff, N. Dak. St. (RS Senior). 6’6”, 263 lbs. with 33⅛” arms and 10” hands. Turned 24 in February. Team captain. An accomplished and effective blocker with “below average pass-catching and athletic traits” according to Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile. Sounds like a fine Round 7 potential steal if Zack Gentry departs in free agency. Has lost both of his last two seasons to ankle injuries, so the medicals will matter. |
| 6:16 | TE Cameron Latu, Alabama (RS Senior). 6’4”, 242 lbs. with 32⅜” arms and 9½” hands. Turned 23 in February. High IQ zone beater, but lacks the speed to beat man coverage and the size to dominate as a blocker. Well rounded but average until you hit the red zone, where he knows how to get those touch yards. |
| 6:16 | WR Malik Knowles, Kansas St. (RS Senior). 6’2”, 196 lbs. with 32¼” arms and 8¾” hands. 22, turns 23 years old in August. Big, tall kick returners always catch the eye, and this one has good, smooth athletic talent to match. The NFL.com scouting profile expresses concern that he “requires a runway to find his speed, [and] lacking suddenness, he will struggle beating press.” The Sports Illustrated scouting profile agrees that he has shown NFL potential as a deep threat, gadget player, and return man, but “did not show the ability to run crisp routes.” |
| 6:16 | WR Mitchell Tinsley, Penn St. via W. Kentucky (Junior). 6’0”, 199 lbs. with 32⅜” arms and 10” hands. 23, turns 24 in September. Runs excellent routes that get him open, has great hands to catch whatever comes his way (subject to focus bobbles & drops), and is dangerous once he has the ball. Lacks a size/speed/length/agility superpower to fall back on if his route running fails. Never played football until his senior year in HS, and had to learn the game starting as a community college walk on. Tested as a top 35% athlete overall with a good 10 yard split but poor long speed. |
| 6:16 | WR Jalen Wayne, S. Alabama (Senior). 6’1¾”, 210 lbs. with 32⅛” arms and 9⅜” hands. Turns 24 years old in May. Nephew of Reggie Wayne. Lots of flashes, but he’s played against such a low level of competition that it is hard to judge his real potential. A solid but not special athlete overall. |
| 7:01 | EDGE Jeremiah Martin, Washington (RS Senior). 6’2⅝”, 267 lbs. with ___ arms and ___ hands. __, turns __ in _________. A natural 4-3 DE with experience playing from a 2-point stance, Martin presents a difficult combination of strength and toughness vs. what is expected to be poor overall athleticism on the speed, burst, and bend fronts. Made a huge jump in 2022 over 2021, which offers hope that the college film is just a prelude to what he could become. This Giants-oriented February scouting profile calls him a big, long, and strong pass rusher with little burst or bend to speak of, and a lack of elite athleticism that will relegate him to the late rounds of the draft. |
| 7:01 | ILB Nick Anderson, Tulane (Senior). 5’10”, 225 lbs. with ___” arms and ___” hands. Team captain. __ years old. Read this good looking February scouting profile and you’ll get a solid idea. Anderson is a high energy, very smart, intense football player with good all around skills, held back by a lack of size and length. Supposed to be an ideal locker room guy. Bound to excel on special teams if nothing else. This goes to a January Sports Illustrated interview. |
| 7:01 | ILB Shaka Heyward, Duke [Mtg. at Combine]. 6’3”, 235 lbs. with long 34” arms and 9⅝” hands. Turns 23 a week before the draft. A 2nd cousin of Cam and Connor (their grandparents were siblings), Shaka Heyward profiles as a late round, run stuffing Buck ILB . Has a nice top 25% athletic profile headlined by excellent foot speed and held back by poor agility that will cause issues if he’s asked to do a lot of coverage. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile praises his length, physicality, and tackling, but worries about “below-average recognition [that] leads to false steps early in the rep.” Tom Mead’s gif-supported Depot scouting report agrees on a late Day 3 grade, saying “he has a lot of work to do” if he ever wants to be more than a special teams asset. |
| 7:01 | Buck ILB Ventrell Miller, Florida (RS Senior). 6’0”, 232 lbs. with 32½” arms and 9⅛” hands. Turned 24 in January. [Discounted for age and lack of fit]. A painful guy to grade because he’s a team leader, captain, and a smart football player to his spine, but the measurables don’t seem to work. He’s on the old side for the youth loving Steelers, too slow of foot to hold up as a Mack, and 10-20 pounds too light to fit the profile of a Buck ILB. |
| 7:01 | SS Justin Broiles, Oklahoma (RS Senior) [Mtg. at Tropical Bowl]. 5’10⅛”, 191 lbs. with 32¼” arms and 8¾” hands. 24 years old. Good click-and-close reactions. Scrappy trash talker. |
| 7:01 | T/G Maleasa Aumavae-Lalu, Oregon (RS Senior). 6’5½”, 317 lbs. with 34½” arms and 10½” hands. 23, turns 24 in May. Pure boom or bust. He can run block like an ace, but after that you have to fall back on good, old fashioned coaching arrogance: “give me someone who can do it, and I will teach him how.” Have it coach! The physical assets are wonderful, and add up to a top 7% athletic score. The technique and football IQ, despite extensive starting experience, need to be taken apart and rebuilt from the ground up. |
| 7:01 | OT Quinton Barrow, Grand Valley St. (Senior). 6’5⅜”, 322 lbs. with 34¼” arms and 9⅝” hands. 22, turns 23 in June. A Shrine Bowl standout from an extremely small program who has now proved he can play with the big boys. Or at least the Shrine Bowl medium boys. |
| 7:01 | OT Luke Haggard, Indiana via junior college (RS Senior). 6’6⅛”, 297 lbs. with 33⅛” arms and 10” hands. Turned 23 in January. The Shrine Bowl showed him to be a solid run blocker who’s a bit weaker in pass protection. |
| 7:01 | QB Tyson Bagent, Shepherd (Senior). 6’3⅛”, 213 lbs. with 9½” hands. 22, turns 23 in June. A West Virginia native who set the NCAA record for most TD’s, but did it at a tiny Division II school (where he also set the all time D-II record for passing yards). The son and grandson of all time great arm wrestlers, Tyson has a good chance of carving out some kind of NFL career. What kind? That, alas, is impossible to really guess at. It reminds you of the Duck Hodges story, except Bagent has NFL size and the ability to make every throw. Not particularly mobile, but has a quick release. His ability to step up all the way NFL complexities, speed, and power are total guesses. Stood out at the Senior Bowl, where he looked like an island in a sea of mediocrity. This goes to a nice December article from The Athletic. |
| 7:01 | QB Aidan O’Connell, Purdue (Senior). 6’3⅜”, 213 lbs. 9¾” hands. 24, 25 in September. Originally a walk on. Dead on accurate. Tough kid who’d be a high pick if he had more arm or mobility. He isn’t noodle armed or immobile, but can only strive to be average at the NFL level. The clear #1 QB at the Shrine Bowl. |
| 7:01 | QB Clayton Tune, Houston (Senior) [Mtg. at Combine]. 6’2½”, 220 lbs. with 9¾” hands. 24 years old as of March. Take all the savvy, accuracy, and leadership of Duck Hodges, add a few inches and better running ability, and then keep the arm talent roughly the same. He’d be a tremendous prospect if teams would keep defending against the deep ball, but why would they when he cannot make those throws? Some will grade him higher, but once burned, twice shy. But who knows? Maybe professional training can find him the extra 5 mph he needs. |
| 7:01 | TE Leonard Taylor, Cincinnati (RS Senior). 6’5”, 250 lbs. with 32¾” arms and big 10⅛” hands. 23, turns 24 in August. Lots of potential and has flashed from time to time as a receiver, but badly needs to add some good, grown man muscle and blocking technique if he wants to succeed in the NFL. |
| 7:01 | TE/HB Brayden Willis, Oklahoma (RS Senior). 6’3¾”, 241 lbs. with 33¼” arms and 9¾” hands. 23, turns 24 in November. Alas, but he’s something of a tweener who blocks well against men his own size or even a little bigger (and can latch onto slippery DB’s), but is just too small to block NFL linemen, and not athletic enough to get open against NFL DB’s. Much closer to Connor Heyward than to Pat Freiermuth. |
| 7:16 | EDGE Jordan Wright, Kentucky (RS Senior). 6’5”, 231 lbs. with 33⅝” arms and 9” hands. 24, turns 25 in December. An athletic 3-4 OLB who can play in space and has good burst off the edge, Jacob Harrison’s gif-supported Depot scouting report ends in a UDFA grade because the natural assets are offset by a lack of play strength, lukewarm motor, overall rawness, and relatively advanced age. |
| 7:16 | ILB Mohamoud Diabate, Utah by way of Florida (Senior). 6’3⅜”, 229 lbs. with 32⅛” arms and 9½” hands. Turns 22 right after the draft. A sideline to sideline run-and-chase ILB with the athleticism to cover but only so-so coverage skills. Tom Mead’s gif-supported Depot scouting profile would downgrade the “so-so” to “severely lacking.” Tackles well due to playing as an undersized DE for his first few years. Understands how to get off blocks and isn’t afraid of the contact, but isn’t particularly good at it, and has a skinny frame that doesn’t promise any extra mass. This brief scouting profile ends in a Round 5 grade. |
| 7:16 | ILB Carlton Martial, Troy (Senior). 5’7⅜”, 210 lbs. with 29⅞” arms and 9⅛” hands. 23, turns 24 just before the draft. CFB’s all time leading tackler doesn’t look right or measure right, but he can da**ed wll play football. “The Mightiest Mouse,” as Jacob Harrison wrote in his gif-supported Depot scouting report. A special teamer with every physical challenge in front of him, and every mental aspect fully in his grasp. |
| 7:16 | S Ronnie Hickman, Ohio St. (RS Junior). 6’0½”, 203 lbs. with 33” arms and 9⅜” hands. 21, turns 22 in October. Lance Zierlein’s NFL.com scouting profile describes him as a “two-year starter with NFL size but lacking functional change of direction as an open-field tackler… He can make plays as a run defender and in coverage when he’s in position, but issues redirecting in small spaces create uncertainty that he can play consistently enough to move beyond backup status.” |
| 7:16 | T/G Joey Fisher, Shepherd (Senior). 6’3⅝”, 292 lbs. with short 32” arms and 10¼” hands. ___ years old. An extremely good athlete who dominated his D-II opponents. His stock fell drastically when the Senior Bowl showed him to be 3” shorter and 25 lbs. lighter than advertised. The Draft Bible scouting profile describes him as “feisty” but undersized, with film “full of more pancakes than IHOP.” Supposed to be very strong and a mauler on the inside, but also prone to dumb mistakes caused by his hyper-aggression. Did well enough at the Shrine Bowl to get a bonus invite to the Senior Bowl. |
| 7:16 | OT Ryan Swoboda, UCF via Virginia (Senior). 6’9¼”, 319 lbs. with long 34¾” arms and 9¾” hands. 24, turns 25 in September. A massive human being who’s long for days, he’s described as an above average athlete with good movement, but very raw. Didn’t stand out at the NFLPA Bowl, but the assets looked good. This pre-NFLPA Bowl summary notes that he is a surprisingly good blocker for someone with that height (“dominating”) but has “major problems trying to block speed rushers,” which is odd for someone with his length. How far can good NFL coaching take him? |
| 7:16 | OG Isaac Moore, Temple (RS Senior). 6’6⅜”, 205 lbs. with 32⅝” arms and 10⅛” hands. 25 years old. A college Tackle whose lateral movement issues will force him to move inside. Good experience, but it comes at the cost of being older than most other prospects. |
| 7:16 | RB Mohamed Ibrahim, Minnesota (Senior). 5’8”, 203 lbs. with 28⅝” arms and 9” hands. 23, turns 24 in September. A tough kid who gets every available inch of yardage, but lacks the size to play as physical as he does – especially with his history of getting hurt. |
| 7:16 | RB Kenny McIntosh, Georgia (Senior). 6’0¼”, 204 lbs. with 30½” arms and 9” hands. Turned 23 in March. Acceptable size and excellent burst, but not much in the way of long speed and seems to be a little short when it comes to vision, and also a bit of a straight line player. A poor fit for the Steelers even if they needed an extra back. |
| 7:16 | FB/ILB Derek Parish, Houston (RS Senior). 6’0⅞”, 241 lbs. with T-rex 29¼” arms and 9⅜” hands. Turned 24 in January. Team captain. Plays both Fullback and EDGE with a hot motor from a 2 point stance, and has a decent array of pass rush moves to take advantage of his bowling ball style and approach. This goes to a Shrine Bowl interview with Josh Carney, where Parish expresses his hope that he could be a two-way FB/ILB in the NFL too. Not a great fit for Pittsburgh, though he seems to be a core football player who will claw his way onto a roster somewhere, if only as a core special teamer. Torn bicep cut his 2022 season short. |
| 7:16 | RB Deneric Prince, Tulsa (RS Senior). 6’0”, 216 lbs. with 31¼” arms and 9¼” hands. 23 as of April. He has the size, and he has the athletic talent, but he comes from a small program and really needs to learn how to get north and south. Could be a steal with the right coaching and attitude, but he isn’t there yet. |
| 7:16 | WR Jake Bobo, UCLA (Senior). 6’4”, 206 lbs. with 32¼” arms and 10” hands. 24, turns 25 in August. Quite tall but still has the ability to run solid routes. Good quickness, especially for his size, but little straight line speed. His feature talent is ball-magnet hands. Age (turns 25 in August) may be an issue for the youth loving Steelers. |
| 7:16 | WR Grant DuBose, Charlotte (Senior). 6’2”, 201 lbs. with 31⅞” arms and 9½” hands. Turns 22 in June. As raw as they come, with only two years of experience. The upside comes with the size, strength, hands, and the flashes that suggest a lot of untapped potential. Draft, stash, and hope. Top 15-20% athlete overall with an evenly distributed set of talents. |
| 7:16 | WR Jadon Haselwood, Arkansas (RS Junior). 6’2¼”, 215 lbs. with 31¼” arms and 10” hands. Here’s a nice summary: Chandler Stroud’s gif-supported Depot scouting report equates Haselwood to “JuJu Smith-Schuster… minus the blocking ability and strength.” A big-slot WR who will struggle to make an NFL roster unless he can establish himself as a special-teams ace, which he did not do in college. |
| 7:17 | STEELERS ROUND 7a PICK (# 234 OVERALL) |
| 7:24 | STEELERS ROUND 7b PICK (# 241 OVERALL) |
| 7:99 | K Jacob Moody, Michigan. Huge leg. Made a 51-yard kick at the Shrine Bowl that would have been good from 60. Ended up in the stands. |
| 8:00 | QB Stetson Bennett, Georgia (Senior). 5’11⅜”, 192 lbs. with 10” hands. Turns 26 in October. A big-time winner. Ducked out of the Senior Bowl to “prepare for the draft,” and then got arrested in the early morning for public intoxication. Rumors exist about his locker room presence. |
