Bruce McNorton, Chidi Iwuoma, Mike Gorscak, Mark Bruener, and Dan Rooney Jr. have filed their scouting reports. Mike Tomlin, Todd Haley, Kevin Colbert, and Keith Butler have logged their frequent flyer miles going to various pro days.
And the Steelers have brought 32 players into the South Side for pre-draft visits.
- All that’s left is to start calling out names.
In five days the Steelers brain trust will converge in the Bill Nunn Jr. Draft Room to conduct what could likely be the most important draft of the Tomlin-Colbert era – or perhaps better put, of the Ben Roethlisberger era. Because the choices the Steelers make in the 2015 NFL Draft will likely determine whether or not the Pittsburgh Steelers make another serious Super Bowl run before Ben Roethlisberger’s body gives out on him.
- Not to be overly dramatic, but the stakes are that high.
But just who are the Steelers looking at? Well, here’s a look at the players they’ve brought in for pre-draft visits.
| Cornerback | Darryl Roberts, Marshall |
| Cornerback | Senquez Golson, Ole Miss |
| Cornerback | Marcus Peters, Washington |
| Cornerback | Alex Carter, Stanford |
| Cornerback | Doran Grant, Ohio State |
| Cornerback | Bryce Callahan, Rice |
| Cornerback | Stephen Nelson, Oregon State |
| Cornerback | Dexter McDonald, Kansas |
| Cornerback | Eric, Rowe, Utah |
| Defensive End | Nate Orchard, Utah |
| Defensive End | Preston Smith, Mississippi State |
| Defensive Lineman | Randy Gregory, Nebraska |
| Defensive Tackle | Xavier Cooper, Washington State |
| Linebacker | Shane Ray, Missouri |
| Linebacker | Kyle Emanuel, North Dakota State |
| Linebacker | Max Valles, Virginia |
| Linebacker | Davis Tull, Chattanooga |
| Outside Linebacker | Eli Harold, Virginia |
| Offensive Tackle | Quinton Spain, WVU |
| Quarterback/Wide Receiver | Devin Gardner, Michigan |
| Quarterback | Tyler Murphy, Boston College |
| Running Back | Matt Jones, Florida |
| Safety | Landon Collins, Alabama |
| Tight End | Cameron Clear, Texas A&M |
| Tight End | C.J. Uzomah, Auburn |
| Tight End | Jesse James, Penn State |
| Tight End | Kennard Backman, UAB |
| Tight End | Jeff Heuerman, Ohio State |
| Tight End | Wes Saxton, South Alabama |
| Wide Receiver | DeVante Parker, Louisville |
| Wide Receiver | Sammie Coates, Auburn |
| Wide Receiver | Breshad Perriman, UCF |
| Wide Receiver | Jaelen Strong, Arizona |
For those of you who didn’t count, that’s 9 cornerback or a quarter of their predraft visit allotment. 7 defensive ends and linebackers – all projected as edge rushers. Not that the Steelers are telegraphing anything of course.
They’ve also hosted 6 tight ends, seemingly planning for the day that Heath Miller hangs it up and interestingly enough they’ve hosted 4 wide receivers. The only other position area to break double figures is quarterback, interestingly enough. The Steelers also entertained two interior defensive lineman, one running back, and one safety.
- What does all of this mean?
As Dale Lolley points out, in the 2014 NFL Draft, the Steelers drafted six players they’d brought in for visits. For the 2013 NFL Draft the number was five, and in the 2012 NFL Draft the number was four (and that number is probably lower because they never anticipated David DeCastro falling to them.)
In other words, Steelers fans can expect to hear several of the names above repeated next week.
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Hello! I think Utah CB Eric Rowe may have visited, too. He could be in the mix for an early selection.
Thanks James. I did not see him on Dale Lolley’s list, but he might have been left off. I saw someone else refer to the Steelers bringing in 9 cornerbacks. I’ll double check.