It has been clear throughout the entire pre-draft process that the Pittsburgh Steelers are heavily interested in offensive linemen. They dedicated 12 pre-draft visits of the 30-visit limit, including another two local prospects, to the offensive line. In an interview with Justin Melo of The Draft Network, Utah OL Sataoa Laumea said he recently had a virtual meeting with the Steelers.
” I’ve met with a few teams in person, and even more of them through Zoom and telephone. I went to Philadelphia and Atlanta for in-person visits,” Laumea told Melo. “It was my first time in both of those cities. My meetings with the Eagles and Falcons went great. I’ve interacted with probably every team in some fashion. My latest Zoom was with the Steelers. I’ve been busy.”
One notable Steelers scout was spotted at the Utah Pro Day with director of player scouting Mark Sadowski in attendance. Laumea split his time between right guard and right tackle at Utah, but primarily played right tackle over the last two seasons.
He measured in at 6042, 319 pounds, with 32 7/8-inch arms at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine, so he will need to kick back inside to guard at the next level. He played 922 total snaps at right guard, with the vast majority of those snaps coming in 2021.
Our Jim Hester came away impressed by his college tape in his scouting report writeup for the site, landing on a fourth-round projection.
“His athleticism and power as a run blocker should get him on the field in the first few years of his career, especially if he improves in pass protection,” Hester wrote.
Laumea opted to pass on many of the Combine and Pro Day drills but put up 26 reps on the bench press and had a 26-inch vertical.
His strong suit as a run blocker could be attractive to the Steelers with the run-first, ground-and-pound offense that Arthur Smith is likely to implement. There isn’t an immediate need at guard, but James Daniels is entering the final year of his contract and Isaac Seumalo is on the wrong side of 30 years old. Addressing guard now with some developmental prospects wouldn’t be a bad idea to help solidify the future of the position.
