For the second year in a row, Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Omar Khan is present at the annual HBCU Combine. This is a similar event to the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine but features players from historically Black colleges and universities around the nation. Khan was the only GM present at the event last year and is once again on site at the event, per an announcement on the NFL Network broadcast of the event. He and New Orleans Saints Mickey Loomis are the only two GMs to attend, per the broadcast.
The Steelers have a long history of interest in HBCUs dating back to Hall of Fame scout Bill Nunn and his efforts to promote talent at these schools. For the most part, these programs don’t otherwise get a ton of publicity or eyeballs on them throughout the season, so Khan getting eyes on them in Metairie, La., is a good step toward leaving no stone unturned to improve the roster.
Here is the HBCU Combine roster, per Sports Illustrated. The talent pool at smaller schools has been on an overall decline as of late with the transfer portal and NIL money luring the top talents to larger programs around the country.
Last year, Khan talked about being at the HBCU Combine in an interview on Steelers Nation Radio and had this to say.
“Bill Nunn was a big influence on me. You guys know his history and his history of identifying players,” Khan said. “He left no stone unturned and I’m trying to take the same approach.”
In Nunn’s days, he brought in players like Mel Blount, John Stallworth, and Donnie Shell, among others, from HBCUs. His approach and inclusion of these schools in his scouting process helped launch the Steelers’ 1970s dynasty.
Last season, the Steelers signed Alfonzo Graham out of Morgan State and Darius Hagans out of Virginia State following the draft and likely tying back to Khan’s time spent at the HBCU Combine. There is a good chance that a player or two from this year’s event end up on the Steelers’ offseason roster at some point throughout the summer as they did last year.
