The Pittsburgh Steelers were one of several teams to meet with Virginia Tech WR Ali Jennings during this week’s Hula Bowl, The Draft Network’s Ryan Fowler reported Thursday morning.
A two-time transfer who began his career at West Virginia before switching to Old Dominion and then Virginia Tech, Jennings didn’t see much volume in 2024 but made his chances count. He caught 15 passes for 373-yards, nearly 25 yards per reception, and three touchdowns, leading the team in scores and finishing third in yards despite being seventh in receptions.
His best performance came against Duke, catching six passes for 151 yards and one touchdown in a 31-28 loss. Jennings also dabbled as a returner, running back two punts for 17 yards on the season.
Jennings’ Virginia Tech career got off to a hot start. Facing his former Old Dominion squad in 2023, he caught five passes for 72 yards and a pair of touchdowns. But he missed the rest of the season with a foot injury.
His best seasons came with ODU. In 2021, he went over the 1,000-yard mark for the only time of his career while in 2022, he averaged nearly 18 yards per catch and nine touchdowns while being named first-team All-Sun Belt Conference. Total up everything at those three colleges and Jennings finished with 162 receptions, 2,710 yards, and 21 touchdowns.
Of course, the Steelers meeting with him is standard procedure and something they’re doing with a host of players at the Hula Bowl, including UCF RB Penny Boone. But it’s still worth noting with draft season on the horizon.
A home run hitter, good testing in the pre-draft process could lead to Jennings hearing his name called on the final day of the 2025 NFL Draft. But receiver is deep and players without recent volume — Jennings has just 20 catches the past two seasons — can be overshadowed by others in the class. We hope to write a report on him before April’s draft.
