5 Things on Steelers Watchlist During Senior Bowl Week
MOBILE, AL -- Welcome to Senior Bowl Week 2022, where the Pittsburgh Steelers are hoping to find their best options - or best sleepers in the 2022 NFL Draft.
The stage begins on Tuesday when college football's top seniors take the field to open the practice week. In attendance will be hundreds of scouts, personnel and media, all with one goal in mind - finding the best upperclassmen the draft class has to offer.
The Steelers will likely have head coach Mike Tomlin and general manager Kevin Colbert in Mobile, Alabama for the week, along with other front office executives. There's plenty on their checklist, but here are five things they'll likely start the week looking for here in the south.
Another Up-Close Look at Kenny Pickett, And Others
The Steelers want a mobile quarterback and they won't rule out drafting one in the opening round this spring. The fan favorite at this point is Pitt Heisman finalist Pickett, who could find himself anywhere in the first round at this point.
Pittsburgh will get another opportunity to scout Pickett from a practice setting, which could give them a deeper look at his ability to construct a team, and some more well-rounded glances at his ability at the position.
Pickett isn't the only quarterback who will be on the Steelers radar, though.
Sam Howell out of North Carolina, Desmond Ridder from Cincinnati, Nevada's Carson Strong and Liberty's Malik Willis are all at the Senior Bowl, and should all be options for the Steelers this April.
A DEEP Cornerback Class
This might be the best cornerback class the NFL Draft has seen in a long long time, and the Steelers need to find options next to Cam Sutton means they're going to spend a lot of time scouting the position.
The options run across the board in Mobile, starting with first or second-round projections like Georgia's Derion Kendrick and Auburn's Roger McCreary.
There's plenty of upperclass sleepers here as well. Coby Bryant out of Cincinnati ranks as a late-round option for most teams, but is a name to keep an eye on at 6-foot-1, recording two interceptions, two forced fumbles and scoring a touchdown in his senior year.
Other names to watch:
- Marcus Jones, Houston: 5-foot-8 slot option
- Damarri Mathis, Pittsburgh: Mid-round outside corner
- Cam Taylor-Britt, Nebraska: Physical 200-pounder
Inside Linebackers
Like cornerback, the inside linebacker options for the Steelers aren't slim at the Senior Bowl.
Chad Muma out of Wyoming and Devin Lloyd out of Utah highlight the list, but there's sleepers who could answer enough questions to find themselves on the Steelers draft list this spring.
Darrian Beavers out of Cincinnati has plenty of upside coming into the week but will need to answer questions on his coverage ability. On the other side of the coin, Texas A&M's Aaron Hansford could also be a strong option for Pittsburgh due to his athleticism and nature coverage instinct.
Offensive Linemen, If I Even Need to Say It
The Steelers will do whatever it takes to re-build their offensive line this offseason, and it all starts at the Senior Bowl.
The options are everywhere, from Boston College guard Zion Johnson to Northern Iowa's Trevor Penning and Kentucky's Darian Kennard.
Chances are, Pittsburgh will be in search of higher-round linemen they can use right away this season. All three of those names might be at the top of many people's lists, including the Steelers, with this being their first opportunity to see how fine-tuned the senior offensive linemen in the class are.
Senior Bowl week made Chase Claypool a Steeler. This year, it could make any offensive linemen move to No. 1 on Pittsburgh's draft board.
Offensive Skill Players
With uncertainty in JuJu Smith-Schuster and Ray-Ray McCloud's future, the Steelers will do their homework on wideouts in the 2022 NFL Draft. Right now, they're looking at a roster of Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool, Anthony Miller, Ricco Bussey and Tyler Vaughns.
Pretty easy to believe they'll find a receiver somewhere in the draft.
Names to watch:
- Christian Watson, North Dakota State
- Alec Pierce, Cincinnati
- Calvin Austin III, Memphis
- Tre Turner, Virginia Tech
Running back will also be on their minds here in Mobile. With no major star at the position this draft season, they could hope names like Alabama's Brian Robinson or Georgia's James Cook slide to the middle rounds.
If not, Arizona State's Rachaad White, all the way to Cam Heyward's younger brother Connor Heyward (Michigan State) will be talking points throughout the week.
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