With the deadline for pre-draft visits fast approaching, the Pittsburgh Steelers are reportedly hosting a trio of prospects for visits at the South Side facility Tuesday, according to a tweet from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review’s Chris Adamski.
Tennessee offensive tackle Darnell Wright, Georgia tight end Darnell Washington, and Houston quarterback Clayton Tune are all at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex for top 30 pre-draft visits Tuesday.
Wright has been connected to the Steelers as a potential first-round draft pick. He’s that big-bodied player the Steelers have been looking for at tackle in recent seasons, and the Steelers have certainly shown interest in him throughout the pre-draft process. Whether he’s a right tackle or left tackle in Pittsburgh remains to be seen, but he’d be a good fit in the Black and Gold on either side, though his best work at Tennessee came at right tackle the last two seasons.
Alex Kozora recently uncovered that Steelers assistant GM Andy Weidl was in attendance at Tennessee’s Pro Day, which makes Wright more of a first round possibility for the Steelers, too.
According to previous reporting from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Steelers could view Wright as a guard, though the recent moves in free agency with the additions of guards Isaac Seumalo and Nate Herbig, pairing with incumbent starter James Daniels, could change that line of thinking some.
As for Washington, he had one of the top workouts in recent memory for his position at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine. Already a talented prospect with great tape, Washington had one of the best days in Combine history, a 9.90 RAS score that’s 11th best among TEs since 1987.
What makes Washington unique is his beefy frame, blocking ability, and explosiveness. He isn’t a raw prospect, a small schooler, or a tweener. He’s an in-line tight end with burst and a headache to try and tackle. Washington’s also a dominant blocker with the demeanor to match his size.
With Tune, it’s a pre-draft visit that was previously reported on April 4 by NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport. With just two quarterbacks currently on the roster in Kenny Pickett and Mitch Trubisky, it’s not surprising to see the Steelers showing some interest in a Day 3 quarterback.
Tune spent five years at Houston, throwing for just shy of 12,000 career passing yards with 104 touchdowns to 41 interceptions. He exited his Cougars career third all-time in yards and second all-time in touchdowns. He also rushed for 15 career touchdowns and posted a solid 4.64 40 at the Combine. He weighed in at 6024, 220 pounds.
He saved his best for last at Houston, surpassing the 4,000-yard mark in 2022 while throwing 40 touchdowns to 10 interceptions and completing 67.3% of his passes. His completion percentage jumped his final two years –under 60% from 2018 to 2020 to 68.3% in 2021 and 67.3% last year. Tune attended this year’s Senior Bowl. According to Mock Draft Database, he is projected to be a fifth-round selection. Currently, the Steelers don’t have a fifth- or sixth-round pick. Projecting QBs outside of the top names is difficult and once past the top tier, the names can be all over the map.
