It’s been rather quiet so far this offseason regarding Pro Day dinners and Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. But thanks to a reveal from former Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor on the latest episode of the “Bleav In Steelers” podcast with host Mark Bergin, we now know of at least one Pro Day dinner.
That Pro Day Dinner for Tomlin and the Steelers occurred the night before Alabama’s Pro Day on March 20. According to Taylor, the Steelers dined with cornerbacks Terrion Arnold and Kool-Aid McKinstry, as well as edge defender Dallas Turner. Taylor also stated that a couple of other players from Alabama were there, though he did not name them.
“Well, the night before was, that was my best moment. So we wound up doing dinner. Like, was doing dinner with Terrion, Dallas, and Kool-Aid and a couple more other teammates. So we was doing dinner with Coach T and Coach T was just holding court,” Taylor said, according to the podcast’s page. “…the night before that dinner, that was the most fun I’ve had in a long time. Just listening to them three between him [Arnold], Coach T and Kool-Aid, just chop it up.”
Taylor was at the Alabama Pro Day putting defensive backs such as Arnold and McKinstry through position drills. That was one of four Pro Days he was in attendance for, including LSU, Miami (Fla.) and most recently revealing he was at Michigan’s Pro Day, too.
The Pro Day dinners are a huge hit with Tomlin. More often than not, they shed a light on whom the Steelers are looking at not only for that draft overall. They are also a great way for Tomlin and the Steelers to build a relationship with a player that they might circle back on later on down the line in their careers.
For what it’s worth, the Steelers held a formal meeting at the NFL Scouting Combine with Arnold and McKinstry.
After cutting Patrick Peterson this offseason, losing James Pierre to the Washington Commanders and still seeing Levi Wallace and Chandon Sullivan on the free agent market, cornerback is a major need for the Steelers. Arnold and McKinstry certainly fit the mold of what the Steelers like and want at the position.
It was rather eye-opening that Taylor — who is working in a scouting capacity for the Steelers — put Arnold and McKinstry through the Pro Day workout, and now him revealing they had a Pro Day dinner with the two cornerbacks, among others, is big news.
Hopefully more information about other Pro Day dinners comes out regarding the Steelers and other prospects on the Pro Day circuit that Tomlin and GM Omar Khan have attended. But right now, the news of Arnold, McKinstry, Turner and more at Alabama is attention-grabbing.
