It doesn’t get much more “welcome to the NFL” than Mike Tomlin shaking your hand. While it wasn’t the Pittsburgh Steelers turning in the card with Arkansas State center Jacob Bayer’s name on it, his Senior Bowl meeting with Tomlin and the Steelers was a highlight.
Speaking with The Draft Network’s Justin Melo, Bayer named Pittsburgh as one of his favorite meetings.
“I’d probably say the same with the Steelers,” Bayer told Melo, also naming the New York Giants as the most engaging interviews. “Everybody knows their head coach. It was cool to meet Mike Tomlin and shake his hand. Those two interviews definitely stood out. There were a few other good ones, like the Jaguars. I did like 16 interviews in one day. It’s like rapid fire.”
Teams meet with virtually every prospect at the Senior Bowl, making Bayer’s interaction one of many the team conducted in Mobile, Ala. But he’s a name to consider on the third day of the draft. Pittsburgh has its starting center in Zach Frazier but depth behind is thin. Nate Herbig is a pending free agent and missed the entire 2024 season with a torn labrum in his shoulder. Re-signing him would be cheap but his experience at the pivot is light. Ryan McCollum held his own while making two starts for the injured Frazier a season ago, but the team could look for an upgrade or, at least, competition.
Bayer began his career at FCS Lamar University in Texas before transferring up to Arkansas State for the 2023 and 2024 seasons. At Mobile, he weighed in at 6027, 315 pounds with 32-inch arms, solid measurables to play in the middle. Per Pro Football Focus, he received equally high marks for his run and pass blocking and tied for the seventh-highest grade of any FBS center in 2024.
Currently, he’s projected to be a late-round pick but could be held in higher regards by NFL teams than media scouting services. We’ll attempt to offer a complete report before April’s draft kicks off. Unfortunately, Bayer wasn’t invited to the 2025 NFL Combine, which would’ve offered him another chance to shine and meet Tomlin for a second handshake.
