Baylor NT Siaki Ika is one of at least three NFL Draft prospects visiting with the Pittsburgh Steelers today. In addition to Oklahoma OT Anton Harrison, known since last night, Ika is in Pittsburgh Wednesday. He’ll also join Florida guard O’Cyrus Torrence, a visit that’s been scheduled for awhile but is apparently happening today.
Ika posted this photo of him in Pittsburgh ahead of his visit.
Earlier in the day, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero tweeted that Torrence was coming into the city Wednesday as well.
Miami (FL) CB Tyrique Stevenson has also made the trip to Pittsburgh. His visit was already reported but now we have the date.
But Ika is the new name. A giant man in the middle weighing in at 6027, 335 pounds, he didn’t test well at the Combine, even relative to his size. Of course, speed and athleticism aren’t the things you’re drafting him for. He’s a run stuffer who can take on double-teams and free up linebackers.
In his Baylor career, Ika recorded 70 tackles (10.5 for a loss) with 4.5 sacks and three pass deflections. A LSU transfer, he posted 24 tackles (two for a loss) last season.
In our scouting report, Jonathan Heitritter concluded the following about Ika, highlighting that he shows more athleticism on tape than he did with his testing.
“His massive size and frame make him a chore to move off his spot for most double teams and nearly impossible to displace for any singular OL tasked with the job. He can sit in gaps, or he can penetrate himself, having several moves like the swim, long arm, and club/rip to get off blocks and cause disruption in the backfield. While a good athlete relative to his size, Ika could stand to drop 10-15lb to become more agile in the open field and as a run-and-chase defender which would also aid in his conditioning to stay on the field more than just the first two downs.”
He gave him a second-round grade.
Ika is projected to be a Day Two pick, potentially going late in the second round or in the third. Pittsburgh holds picks #49 and #80 and could target him with one of those selections.
Torrence, a big and powerful run blocker, is a first-round candidate and almost certainly will be the first guard off the board. The Steelers have plugged holes at guard but have continued to show interest in the position. Harrison is a young and athletic left tackle who has to work on being more functionally strong.
Ika, Torrence, and Harrison should be the team’s three pre-draft visitors of the day. We now know 22 of the possible 30 names.
You can read Ika’s full report below.
