INDIANAPOLIS–Through three days of the 2024 NFL Combine, there have been several notable storylines involving the Pittsburgh Steelers and some prospects who the team may be interested in. Myself, Ross McCorkle and Jonathan Heitritter put together a list of our biggest takeaways so far from our time in Indianapolis.
Lack Of Interest In Senior Bowl Players
The Pittsburgh Steelers have long stood by the tradition of interviewing players who have serious interest in taking in the first round of the draft in a formal setting at the NFL Combine. This was often part of the “Blue’s Clues” regarding which prospects were most likely in play for the Steelers at the top of the draft.
However, we have been thrown a curve ball when it comes to that process here in Indianapolis as Pittsburgh hasn’t met with nearly any of the top prospects from Mobile, at least in a formal fashion. Names like Toledo CB Quinyon Mitchell, OTs Oklahoma’s Tyler Guyton, Houston’s Patrick Paul, and Oregon State’s Taliese Fuaga said they didn’t meet with Pittsburgh at the Combine. Possibly the leader in the clubhouse at #20 overall, Oregon C Jackson Powers-Johnson, also confirmed to me that he didn’t meet with Pittsburgh in any fashion here at the 2024 NFL Combine.
This breaks the long-standing tradition that we’ve followed for years under former GM Kevin Colbert. Still, current GM Omar Khan as well as HC Mike Tomlin were both on-hand for the Senior Bowl and had plenty of conversations with Powers-Johnson, Mitchell, and all of the other top prospects down there, and likely opted to save their 45 formal interviews for the top guys here this week they haven’t spent any time with to this point.
The Pro Days and pre-draft visits will be telling concerning these prospects’ status for being in-play for Pittsburgh in the first round, as tradition is allowed to change under new management, but those check marks still are important in showing us who exactly Pittsburgh is targeting with their first-round pick come April.
Xavier Worthy Breaks Record
While the Steelers had interest in a number of top receivers, including Washington’s Rome Odunze, the team did not have a meeting that we are aware of with Texas’ Xavier Worthy.
But Worthy was the story of the Combine on Saturday, breaking a Combine record with a 4.21 40-yard dash time. Worthy and fellow Texas wideout Adonai Mitchell could both be see themselves getting selected in the first round after impressive workouts.
Zach Frazier’s Medicals
After breaking his leg late in the 2023 season, West Virginia center Zach Frazier was held up in medical testing today at the Combine, getting an X-Ray and multiple MRIs per request of teams. Frazier is ahead of his timeline and should be good to go for OTAs, but the medical hold-up raised questions of whether or not something went wrong like it did with Alabama CB Kool-Aid McKinstry, who was held up in medical testing after a Jones fracture was discovered in his foot.
Luckily, it seems as if Frazier, a potential target for the Steelers, is fine. He said he may be able to test fully at his Pro Day, but it’ll essentially be a game-day decision. Either way, teams should have Frazier ready for when rookie minicamp and OTAs start, which is what’s important.
Offensive Line Interest
Pittsburgh expressed interest in a few top offensive lineman, holding formal meetings with Georgia’s Amarius Mims, Duke’s Graham Barton and Alabama’s J.C. Latham. While Pittsburgh didn’t meet with Frazier or Oregon’s Jackson Powers-Johnson, they likely felt comfortable with the time they spent with them at the Senior Bowl.
The Steelers also had a formal meeting with Notre Dame’s Blake Fisher, who could be an option on Day Two or early on Day Three. Fisher said he felt good about his meeting with the Steelers.
No Word On Specialists
There weren’t many specialists at the NFL Combine today, but the ones we met with, including BYU’s Ryan Rekhow and Iowa’s Tory Taylor, had not yet met with the Steelers at the Combine. Those meetings may have happened Saturday, as specialists apparently weren’t holding most of their meetings until Saturday but the team spent time with both at the Shrine Bowl and Senior Bowl, respectively. With the Steelers not having a punter on the roster, both players are names to watch.
