Pro Day season is officially underway and the Pittsburgh Steelers are on the trail. We spotted area scout Mark Gorscak at the Purdue Boilermaker Pro Day Thursday, an interesting note considering in past years, he’s served as the team’s South Area Scout. That info comes from Purdue sports reporter Dub Jellison.
The school’s top prospect this year is WR Charlie Jones. A two-time transfer who began his college career at Buffalo, then went to Iowa, and finished things up at Purdue in 2022, he broke out this past season with 110 receptions for more than 1300 yards and 12 touchdowns. He’s also gotten extensive work as a punt returner with a career 8.1 average on 77 total returns.
Attending last week’s Combine, Jones weighed in at 5113, 175 pounds. But his speed was legitimate at 4.44 and he jumped 10’4″ in the broad and 36.5 inches in the vert. He’s currently being projected in the early fourth round, though a late Day Two selection isn’t out of the question.
But Jones is far from the only notable prospect. There’s TE Payne Durham, who impressed at the Senior Bowl with his hands and catch radius. He looks the part at 6055, 253 pounds with long, 33 3/8 inch arms and had healthy production this past season, 56 receptions for 500 yards and eight touchdowns. A smart player who finds space against zone coverage, his 4.87 40 won’t run past many linebackers but he’s a solid Day Three option in a strong tight end class. A name to keep an eye on if Zach Gentry leaves in free agency.
Quarterback Aidan O’Connell is a pocket passer who threw the ball well at the Combine. Standing in at 6033, 213 pounds, he’s thrown 50 scores for the Boilermakers over the last two years, leading the team to winning seasons in 2021 and 2022, their first such back-to-back seasons above .500 since 2006 and 2007. He’s projected as a late round pick or priority undrafted free agent. With Mason Rudolph expected to be playing elsewhere next year, the team doesn’t have a #3 QB on its roster and always carries four to training camp.
Cornerback Cory Trice has intriguing size at 6’3, 205 pounds and put up strong shuttle times, including a 6.70 three cone. He picked off two passes last year, including a pick-six in a win over Indiana. He’s another possible late Day Three pick.
While it’s just one Pro Day, according to our tracker, Purdue and Indiana is about as far north as we’ve seen Gorscak scout aside from one local PSAC Regional Pro Day years back. More information is needed but we’ll have to see if the team has changed his scouting area from the south to the Midwest, perhaps replacing Dan Colbert’s territory.
Once more Pro Day info rolls in, we’ll have an updated tracker that will keep tabs on where the Steelers go.
