We already know where Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin and General Manager Omar Khan will be tomorrow. Though you really only needed one guess for it. According to Albert Breer, who tweeted out the list of the NFL decision-makers attending tomorrow’s Ohio State Pro Day, Tomlin and Khan are expected to watch the top Buckeyes prospects work out.
It’s been a busy week for Tomlin and Khan (the above photo, for the record, is from this year’s Senior Bowl). Monday, they were in Iowa for the Hawkeyes’ Pro Day. Today, they stayed in the state and watched the Iowa State Cyclones’ prospects go through their workout. Wednesday, the Steelers’ top brass will be in Ohio for one of the biggest Pro Days on the calendar.
Ohio State is a usual stop for the Steelers so this isn’t much of a surprise, though it’s always notable. Like most years, the Buckeyes have a slew of top prospects. None bigger — and I mean that literally –than OT Dawand Jones. A mountain of a man at 6’8, 374 pounds, the Steelers are reportedly bringing him in for a pre-draft visit. After addressing the interior offensive line in free agent, the team could address their tackles in the draft. Jones is considered to be a Top-40 pick but even selecting him at #17 isn’t out of the question. He was my choice in my latest Steelers mock draft.
But Jones is far from the only notable Ohio State prospect. The biggest name is QB C.J. Stroud, in the mix to be the first player taken in this year’s draft by the Carolina Panthers. There’s also WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who battled a hamstring injury throughout much of his 2022 season. Still, he could be one of the first receivers off the board in a relatively weak class.
Paris Johnson is arguably the best OT in this class and though he’s unlikely to make it to #17, if the Steelers wanted to trade up, he’s certainly a player that would make sense. DE Zach Harrison is long and powerful though his tape and production underwhelmed during his college career. SS Ronnie Hickman is a box-type who can hit but whose game is raw and his role was constantly being shifted. Center Luke Wypler is an underrated player who could be one of the top pivots off the board. And there’s a slew of potential later round picks too, like CB Cameron Brown.
We’ll see if the Steelers bring anyone else to Ohio State tomorrow. As always, you can follow along our Pro Day tracker here for daily updates.
