The Pittsburgh Steelers are bringing another running back in for a pre-draft visit. Texas RB Jaydon Blue will soon be making the trip to the team’s facility. Following his Pro Day workout, Blue told SEC Network’s Fozzy Whittaker that Pittsburgh is on his pre-draft itinerary.
“I have to go to Texans, have to fly to Philly, Denver, Pittsburgh,” Blue told Whittaker Tuesday afternoon. “There’s a few more teams that pop up on the radar. So I’m excited to see where I land.”
He’s just the latest big-play college back Pittsburgh has shown interest in. One of the class’s fastest players, he ran a 4.38 40 at the NFL Combine. An objectively fast time but slow by Blue’s standards, citing a minor groin injury that hindered him. Healthy for his Pro Day, he reportedly ran an unofficial 4.25 and 4.28 40s Tuesday.
The speed matches the tape. In our scouting report, we highlighted his home-run ability. Working in Texas’ backfield rotation, we praised Blue for defeating angles in open space and noting his proficiency as a receiver with 56 career receptions. He could be a potential four-phase player capable of helping out on special teams.
Negatively, Blue lacks power and is prone to getting tripped up in the open field. He also had a fumbling issue in 2024 and had six over his career. Our conclusion was:
“Overall, Jaydon Blue is an exciting, big-play back with legitimate play speed. His versatility and pass-catching ability are also attractive and set him apart from most other running backs in this year’s class. But a limited body of work, lack of power between the tackles, and ball-security concerns tamp down his stock. There’s a rotational and third-down role for a guy like him, but he’ll always be Robin. Not Batman.
My NFL comp is the Baltimore Ravens’ Justice Hill—a third-down/receiving back with great speed.”
We gave him a fourth-round grade. He’s currently projected as a Day 3 pick and could be pushed down in a deep running back class.
In college, Blue finished with 214 carries for more than 1,100-yards and 11 rushing scores, mostly seeing offensive playing time in his final season. A top recruit, Blue skipped his senior season of high school in order to stay healthy and train for college.
In addition to Blue, Pittsburgh has or will have pre-draft visits with several other running backs: Tennessee’s Dylan Sampson, Kansas State’s DJ Giddens, Virginia Tech’s Bhayshul Tuten, and Oklahoma State’s Ollie Gordon II. Nearly all of their list features fast and play-making runners as the Steelers look to collect offensive playmakers and make their scoring attack far more potent.
