The Pittsburgh Steelers sent the house to Alabama’s Pro Day Wednesday. Included in that group was former Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor, who put the Crimson Tide’s top defensive backs through drills during the day.
As shown in the headline photo above, Taylor guided CBs Kool-Aid McKinstry and Terrion Arnold along with DB Jaylen Key through change-of-direction drills.
McKinstry and Arnold are two of the top cornerback prospects in this year’s draft, jockeying to be the first off the board. They’re also competing with other top corners in this year’s class, including Toledo’s Quinyon Mitchell and Clemson’s Nate Wiggins.
In our Arnold scouting report, we noted his size, bulk, and physicality along with his comfort in man-to-man coverage. We noted some rawness at the position, needing to refine his technique after moving from safety to corner midway through his Crimson Tide career.
A bit bigger than Arnold, McKinstry is an impressive press-man corner who can match up on the outside. But as Jonathan Heitritter noted, there are questions about his change of direction and twitch along with meager ball production, McKinstry picking off only two career passes. Medical testing at the NFL Combine also revealed a broken bone in McKinstry’s foot. He’ll undergo surgery following his Pro Day though he’s expected to be ready for the start of training camp. After not running at the Combine, McKinstry reportedly ran in the high 4.4s on the first run of his Pro Day. His second run was in the 4.5s.
Key is longer player who profiles more as a safety. A transfer from UAB to Alabama for the 2023 season, he recorded 60 tackles and a pick in his lone year for the Crimson Tide. In 2022, he intercepted three passes and forced a pair of fumbles.
Alabama State DB Mikey Victor was invited to the Pro Day workout, impressing with a 10’4″ broad jump, though he would have posted an even bigger number had he stuck the landing. A transfer from UNLV, Victor recorded 19 tackles and one interception across 10 games last season. His shuttle times were also impressive for his 6023, 205-pound frame. Taylor also put him through the paces.
A New Orleans Saints representative initially put the defensive backs through drills before Taylor took over the workout.
Though the Steelers recently traded for CB Donte Jackson, they still have needs at outside and slot corner. This is the second time Taylor has put prospects through drills this Pro Day circuit, doing the same at Miami (Fla.) on Monday for top-rated Hurricanes safety Kamren Kinchens.
In addition to Taylor representing the team, the Steelers sent a slew of personnel to the Crimson Tide Pro Day. That included head coach Mike Tomlin, general manager Omar Khan, defensive coordinator Teryl Austin, front office executive Dan Rooney Jr. and area scout Zach Crockett. There’s also at least one other member in attendance, potentially scout Dennis MacInnis.
