It’s easy to get lost in studying the first couple of rounds of the NFL draft. However, there can be players that make an impact later in the draft. The Pittsburgh Steelers have brought in players who could be later picks for pre-draft visits, including South Dakota State OG Mason McCormick and Northern Iowa DT Khristian Boyd.
Those two are among a host of players that Charles Davis loves later in the draft. Davis released his list of players he “would pound the table for” on NFL.com on Monday. Georgia C Sedrick Van Pran-Granger also made the list.
The Steelers are actually hosting McCormick on Monday for his pre-draft visit. McCormick is one of the most athletic interior linemen in the draft. He could potentially play center and has a perfect 10.0 Relative Athletic Score at the position. He drops down to a 9.96 as a guard.
“I love the way McCormick goes about his business on the field,” Davis wrote. He’s a very cerebral player and has plenty of experience, with 57 career starts—all at left guard—during his college career. He’s a road grader who reminds me of Browns Pro Bowler Wyatt Teller, featuring some twitch and a whole lot of nastiness in his game.”
Right after Davis wrote about Mason McCormick, he broke down his thoughts on Van Pran-Granger. The Steelers have not brought him in for a pre-draft visit, unlike McCormick. However, they did have a big presence at Georgia’s Pro Day including general manager Omar Khan and head coach Mike Tomlin.
“I know he’s undersized, weighing in at 298 pounds with 31 3/8-inch arms at the combine,” Davis wrote. “But I think he could start from Day 1 on the right team. Let’s not forget that he started every game for Georgia over the past three seasons, winning two national titles along the way. Former Pro Bowl center Ryan Kalil is my comp for Van Pran-Granger. He’s smart and experienced.”
As for Khristian Boyd, the Steelers need help on the defensive line, which isn’t drawing as much interest as the offensive line, wide receiver, or cornerback. Like McCormick, Boyd has visited the Steelers ahead of the draft.
“Boyd earned first-team All-Missouri Valley Conference honors in 2023, starting every game and picking up 6.5 tackles for loss,” Davis wrote. “He showed he more than belonged at the East-West Shrine Game earlier this offseason. Later on Day 2 of the draft, that sound you’ll start to hear will be me pounding the table for the former Northern Iowa Panther.”
Khristian Boyd is a disruptor on the defensive line despite his immense size. Jonathan Heitritter scouted Boyd for Steelers Depot this offseason and, despite concerns about his arm length, appreciated Boyd’s explosiveness while also showing an ability to anchor as a nose tackle.
There was one other interesting note from Davis’ list. He compared Duke DT DeWayne Carter to the Steelers’ second-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Keeanu Benton.
