Ever since Mike Tomlin took over as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ head coach, he’s been one of the most active coaches when it comes to the pre-draft circuit. Tomlin is always front and center at the Senior Bowl and at various Pro Days, and Senior Bowl director Jim Nagy gave Tomlin a shout-out for how much he gets out of the Senior Bowl.
“Nobody gets more out of @seniorbowl than Mike Tomlin. I think every player leaves Mobile wanting to be a Steeler,” Nagy said on Twitter, with a clip of Tomlin at the event.
Tomlin and former general manager Kevin Colbert and now current general manager Omar Khan also hit as many Pro Days as they possibly can to learn more about prospects and get to know guys off the field. It’s an aspect of scouting that you don’t often see head coaches take initiative on, but Tomlin truly loves the game and getting to know players. He’s always going to be someone who makes himself seen and makes himself available to talk to guys throughout the pre-draft process.
With the recent release of Mason Cole, one Senior Bowl prospect that Tomlin may have had his eye on was Oregon center Jackson Powers-Johnson. Powers-Johnson confirmed he met with the Steelers twice during the Senior Bowl, and with Tomlin’s affinity for watching the OL/DL drills at the event, I’m sure he’s a player who Tomlin watched closely.
With the NFL Scouting Combine starting this week, Tomlin and the Steelers will begin to really hone in on prospects they like before deciding where they’re going to hit on the Pro Day circuit. As we know, wherever Tomlin and/0r Khan go or don’t go on the Pro Day circuit is usually an insight into whether or not the Steelers have genuine interest in the player.
That formula may be a little bit different this year with the Big 12 just holding one Pro Day for all the conference schools, but you can bet that Tomlin and Khan will likely be in attendance. Tomlin’s history of getting to know guys and taking a lot away from events like the Senior Bowl has made him one of the most well-liked coaches in the league by players, and Nagy’s comments come as little surprise that players walk away wanting to play for the Steelers.
We’ll find out soon enough which players actually do end up as Steelers with the NFL draft starting on April 25.
