Official pre-draft visits to the South Side facility are ramping up. One day after hosting Rutgers cornerback Max Melton and Iowa defensive lineman Logan Lee, the Steelers are reportedly hosting another pair of draft prospects Tuesday.
According to the Post-Gazette’s Ray Fittipaldo, the Steelers are hosting Texas wide receiver Adonai Mitchell and Mississippi State defensive lineman Jaden Crumedy.
Mitchell was reported as a future pre-draft visitor on Monday by The Athletic’s Mike DeFabo. Mitchell, who clocked a 4.34 40-yard dash at 6022, 205 pounds, has been a popular name connected to the Steelers since Pittsburgh traded Diontae Johnson in mid-March to the Carolina Panthers.
Mitchell transferred to Texas from Georgia for the 2023 season and hauled in 55 passes for 845 yards and 11 touchdowns, helping the Longhorns reach the College Football Playoff semifinals. Prior to his one season at Texas, Mitchell was a depth piece at Georgia. He finished his collegiate career with 93 catches for 1,407 yards and 18 touchdowns, breaking out in a major way at Texas.
New Steelers wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni was at Longhorns Pro Day, keeping a close eye on the trio of Texas receivers in Mitchell, Xavier Worthy and Jordan Whittington. The Steelers also had a formal meeting with Mitchell at the Combine.
Mitchell had a monster showing at the Combine, nearly upstaging Worthy’s record-breaking 40-yard dash time. At the Combine, Mitchell recorded a 39-inch vertical leap and an 11’4″ broad jump, earning a 9.99 Relative Athletic Score from Kent Lee Platte, the fifth-best RAS score among all receivers tested from 1987 to today.
In a scouting report for Steelers Depot, Efram Geller stated that Mitchell is a bit raw as a route runner but has all the physical traits needed to be a great receiver at the next level.
Crumedy checks in at 6040, 301 pounds with 33-inch arms. Last season at Mississippi State, Crumedy recorded 35 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and 16 quarterback hurries.
The Mississippi State defensive lineman was a four-star recruit coming out of high school. He had some solid production in the SEC, finishing with 119 total tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks. Though the production is there, Crumedy will be 24 years old as a rookie, raising some concerns.
In his scouting report for Steelers Depot, Jonathan Heitritter had this to say about Crumedy:
“Jaden Crumedy is a physical interior defender with the size, strength, and experience you look for at the position. His production as a pass rusher has been underwhelming during his college career, but he does flash moments of impressive closing speed and power as a rusher while also providing quality run defense to the equation as a defender that can start out in a rotational role on first and second down as a base 3-4 DE or 4-3 DT and work his way into a larger role with time.”
The Steelers have a very obvious need for youth and depth in the trenches defensively behind Cameron Heyward and Larry Ogunjobi. Crumedy is just the latest defensive lineman to come to the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex for a pre-draft meeting with the Steelers.
Check out Heitritter’s full report on Crumedy.
