The Pittsburgh Steelers are hosting three draft visitors on Thursday, as the team is bringing in England OT Travis Clayton, a member of the International Player Pathway Program, Penn State C Hunter Nourzad and Michigan LB Junior Colson. Joe Rutter of TribLive reported the news on Twitter.
Clayton is one of 16 athletes chosen as part of the International Player Pathway program, and the former rugby player has ideal size to play offensive tackle in the NFL as he’s 6-7 and over 300 pounds. Alex Kozora wrote about Clayton and other international draft prospects worth knowing, and Clayton is certainly an intriguing prospect.
Per NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero, he recently ran a 4.79 40-yard dash and has 35-inch arms, and that athleticism makes him an extremely interesting offensive tackle prospect.
Clayton is likely a player the Steelers would look to take a flier on during Day 3 of the draft or potentially sign as an undrafted free agent.
Nourzad was an offensive tackle at Cornell who moved to center when he transferred to Penn State and has seen his draft stock rise after a strong pre-draft cycle that started at the East-West Shrine Bowl. Nourzad is likely more of a Day 2 or early Day 3 option for the Steelers at center, but he’s a name to watch in the middle rounds, especially if the Steelers pass on center in the first round. He measured in at 6031 and 317 pounds at the NFL Scouting Combine, but didn’t test due to a foot injury.
Colson is the second off-ball linebacker the Steelers have hosted for a pre-draft visit in as many days, and he’s also just the second of the cycle. The team hosted NC State LB Payton Wilson yesterday, and today brought in Colson, who is expected to be a late Day 2 or early Day 3 pick. The Steelers need to add depth at inside linebacker after injuries decimated the position last season, and the team also upgraded the room by signing Patrick Queen in free agency. But more depth is never a bad thing, and the Steelers very well could target a mid-round linebacker like Colson.
Colson measured in at 6022 and 237 pounds at the Combine, but he also did not test in Indianapolis. The Steelers did have a formal meeting with him at the Combine, so the team is doing a its homework on Colson, who was a key piece to Michigan’s national championship defense.
The three visits today wrap up Pittsburgh’s pre-draft visits and with the 2024 NFL Draft just over a week away, we’re getting closer and closer to finding out who the next generation of Steelers are.
