With just under two weeks until the start of the 2023 NFL Draft in Kansas City, the Pittsburgh Steelers are continuing to meet with prospects at their South Side facility as part of the 30 pre-draft visits.
According to multiple reports, including Steelers.com’s Dale Lolley, the Steelers are hosting Kansas State EDGE Felix Anudike-Uzomah and Tennessee wide receiver Cedric Tillman Friday.
Anudike-Uzomah has been a popular name here at Steelers Depot throughout the pre-draft process. The Steelers have a major need at outside linebacker behind T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith, and Anudike-Uzomah certainly fits the mold at the position.
Here’s what Steelers Depot’s own Tyler Wise wrote about Anudike-Uzomah in his draft profile:
“Felix Anudike-Uzomah has an intriguing skill set and is already polished as a pass rusher. He’ll be able to contribute right away to a team as a situational pass rusher. While he needs to continue developing in the run game before becoming a full-time starter, his significant improvement in edge-setting from 2021 to 2022 suggests a promising trajectory. It may take some time to get comfortable as a full-time edge after playing a large chunk of snaps inside for Kansas State in the 3-3-5, but it’s where he’ll ultimately flourish.
“Given the lack of consensus in this year’s EDGE class, it’s possible that Anudike-Uzomah’s name could be called towards the end of the first round, but the second round seems like a more likely spot for him. While it remains to be seen how he’ll perform at the NFL combine (writing this pre-combine), I believe he has the potential to put up solid numbers. When I watched him play, I couldn’t help but think of Jabaal Sheard, who had a successful 11-year career as a good-but-not-great athlete with great length, active hands, and a relentless motor. Like Sheard, Anudike-Uzomah may not become an elite player at the next level, but he has the potential to be a solid contributor for years to come.”
Anudike-Uzomah was named the 2022 Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year and Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year last season. He finished his career with 97 tackles, 26.5 tackles for loss, 20.5 sacks, eight forced fumbles, and one pass deflection in 27 starts.
Along with a need at EDGE, the Steelers have a clear need at wide receiver behind the likes of Diontae Johnson and George Pickens. Tillman had a strong 2022 season at Tennessee with fellow draft prospects Jalin Hyatt at wide receiver and Hendon Hooker at quarterback. He finished with 37 receptions for 417 yards and three touchdowns last season, recording 109 receptions for 1,622 yards and 17 touchdowns in his career.
Tillman is the son of former NFL player Cedric Tillman, who spent time with Jacksonville and Denver.
Here’s what Steelers Depot’s own Tom Mead wrote about Tillman in his draft profile:
“Tillman is a receiver with very good size and play strength. He played primarily on the right side of the formation with a lot of his production coming from slants, comebacks and go routes. His hands are good, tracks the ball well and has a very good catch radius. He can separate in different ways and is solid after the catch. As a blocker, he uses his hand and play strength to sustain blocks well for his teammates.
“Areas to improve include running a more diverse route tree, becoming more consistent with his hands against press coverage and working on stacking DBs on deep routes. He rarely played on the left side of the formation but should be able to handle it. Tillman looks like the prototypical X receiver. He has the size, hands and knows how to separate. With his effort to block and to come back from injury last year shows me he’s a team player and willing to do what he can. He also has the bloodlines the Steelers like.”
