These players are tied to the Steelers either through select mock drafts, or visits during the senior bowl, combine, pro days, etc. The summaries come from NFL.com.
combine: 4.50s 40, 37"vert, 10'9"broad jump
2023: 1st All-SEC/1st All-American, 63tot tckls, 1FF, 1sck, 5INTs/12PDs
strengths: Agile feet & slippery hips accommodate challenging cross-fake transitions. Very good top-end speed with above-average burst to close. Urgent ball-challenger, competing hard for both space & the ball,. Jars throws loose with heavy strikes and is aggressive in run support. Works through blockers & gets after it as a tackler.
weaknesses: Feet become indecisive when hit with release fakes. Lacks eye balance, losing sight of play development around him. Room for improvement on jump-ball play & positioning. Needs to do a better job of dropping pad level & wrapping to tackle.
grade: 6.49 (Will become a good starter within 2 years) Next Gen: 85 (good)
comp: Marshon Lattimore
C - Sedrick Van Pran: Georgia 6'4", 298
combine: 5.20s 40
2023: 1st All-SEC, Jacobs Blocking Trophy
strengths: Keeps slide steps measured and choppy sliding to the pass rusher. Hands are twitchy getting from snap to punch in the run game. Powerful grip strength helps bring the opponent tight & lock him into place. Plays with above-average feel for run block positioning on 1st & 2nd levels. Success rate blocking LBs helped spring long runs.
weaknesses: Too straight-kneed getting into contact at the point of attack. Footwork starts to get sloppy once rush action heats up. Short arms and can be beaten by length at the punch point. Leans out past his toes getting into most blocks due to lower-body tightness.
grade: 6.22 (Will eventually become an average starter) Next Gen: 74 (good)
comp: Lloyd Cushenberry
CB - Kool-Aid McKinstry: Alabama 5'11 1/2", 199
2023: 1st All-SEC/1st All-American, 32tot tckls, 7PDs
strengths: Good communication on the back end. Balance & athleticism to remain in phase with receivers. Does a nice job out of reading the receiver's eyes to gain intel. Plays with poise and patience when tracking deep-throw targets. Possesses rapid acceleration to close quickly on throws. Well-timed punches, claws & chops knock away catch attempts.
weaknesses: Better short-area burst than full-field speed. Tugs the receiver at the break point instead of relying on his feet. Content to stay in the backdrop as a run defender. Inconsistent reaction time to route combinations from zone.
grade: 6.40 (Will become a good starter within 2 years) Next Gen: 89 (good)
comp: A.J. Terrell
CB - Ennis Rakestraw Jr: Missouri 5'11", 183
combine: 4.51s 40, 10' broad jump
2023: 35tot tckls, 1FF, 4PDs
strengths: Rough ride for receivers when he's jamming them from press. Excellent body control allows him to stay in phase against comeback routes. Uses well-timed punches & slaps to disrupt the catch try. Salty in run support with willingness to wrap and lift ball-carriers.
weaknesses: Handsy play. Won't often get his head turned to find the ball on deep throws. Recovery speed comes into question at times. Torn ACL in '21 & missed games in '23 with a groin injury.
grade: 6.35 (Will eventually become a plus starter) Next Gen: 73 (good)
comp: Roger McCreary
LB - Jeremiah Trotter Jr: Clemson 6', 228
combine: 21reps
2023: 1st All-ACC, 87tot tckls, 5.5scks, 2FFs, 2INTs/5PDs, 1TD
strengths: Plays with anticipation to mirror play development. Attacks blocks with force to spill runners wide or to set an edge outside. Excellent body control & change of direction to maintain tackle potential. Rare elusiveness & footwork creates high-end success as a blitzer.
weaknesses: Can be engulfed by the blocker if he's too static. Chance-taking while he's running the alley can work against him. Loses track of coverage duties from zone. Can be fooled by eye candy on play-action passes.
grade: 6.29 (Will eventually become an average starter) Next Gen: 76 (good)
comp: Nick Bolton
C - Jackson Powers-Johnson: Oregon 6'3", 328
combine: 32"vert, 8'8"broad jump, 30reps
2023: 1st All-PAC 12, Unanimous All-American, Rimington Trophy
strengths: Heavy hands hammer A-gap threats when protecting the QB. Plays with a rugged, disdainful attitude toward opponents. Jolts defenders around with powerful upper-body. Plays with adequate footwork for double-teams & work-up blocks.
weaknesses: Would like to see better pad level & explosion into 1st contact. Below-average body control to consistently square-up moving targets. Lacks lateral quickness to reach play-side defenders at a high rate. Limited reactive quickness if he's isolated against an athletic roster.
grade: 6.36 (Will eventually become an average starter) Next Gen: 85 (good)
comp: Quinn Meinerz
DT - Michael Hall Jr: Ohio St 6'3", 290
2023: 3rd All-BIG 10, 24tot tckls, 1.5scks
strengths: Corkscrews post leg into the ground for added double-team anchor. Impressive ability to absorb contact & play off the block. Beats single blocks with slide step and arm-over moves. Active hands & short-area quickness bring pressure to the pocket.
weaknesses: Works overtime to neutralize a block but struggles to shed it. Lower-body tightness prohibits sharp cornering at the top of his rush. Knocked off the rush path by firm punch or redirections.
grade: 6.19 (Good backup with potential to develop as a starter) Next Gen: 69 (average)
LB - Trevin Wallace: Kentucky 6'1", 237
combine: 4.51s 40, 37.5"vert, 10'7"broad jump
2023: 80tot tckls, 5.5scks, 1FF, 1INT
strengths: Rangy with good chase-down gallop to the sideline. Hands are very sticky when he gets his chances to take the ball away. Lateral agility to expand his short-area tackle success.
weaknesses: Frequently fooled by misdirection in both run & press games. Lacks patience and leverage in his scrape, allowing cutback lanes to runners. Pass rush could use more elusiveness when diving into A-or B-gaps.
grade: 5.83 (Average backup/Special Teamer) Next Gen: 76 (good)
OT - Amarius Mims: Georgia 6'8", 340
combine: 5.07s 40, 25.5"vert, 9'3"broad jump
strengths: Fits into his drive blocks with good bend and a lift for leverage. Plays with deliberate hand placement & runs feet through contact. Uses direct punch with inside hands and/or aggressive gather-&-snatch. Strong hands and pure mass help tone down power rushers.
weaknesses: Inconsistent in sustaining blocks in the run game. Movements up to the 2nd level lack timing & accuracy. Feet get heavy when attempting to mirror a cross-face rush challenge. Needs to work on forward lean at the top of the rush.
grade: 6.45 (Will become a good starter within 2 years) Next Gen: 82 (good)
comp: Donovan Smith
CB - T.J. Tampa: Iowa St 6'1", 189
2023: 1st All-BIG 12, 44tot tckls, 2INTs/7PDs
strengths: Utilizes forceful route redirection when pressing. Operates with good balance against high-low route concepts. Effective to shadow routes from trail technique. Physical in coverage, as a striker & in run support.
weaknesses: Upright in his backpedal, causing imbalance in transitions. Struggles to stay in phase against comeback routes. Gets lost versus slippery route runners. Open-field tackling can be spotty.
grade: 6.24 (Will eventually become an average starter) Next Gen: 78 (good)
comp: Rasul Douglas
CB - Max Melton: Rutgers 5'11", 187
combine: 4.39s 40, 40.5"vert, 11'4" broad jump
2023: 32tot tckls, 1sck, 1FF, 3INTs/6PDs
strengths: Able to slide & slow an inside release from boundary or slot. Reads the receiver's stride length to clue in on when to jump the route. Possesses dynamic ball skills to beat receivers to the ball. Plays with above-average aggression challenging perimeter run blocks.
weaknesses: Upright backpedal with slight hitch in his transitions. Beaten too easily across his face for goal-line & short-yardage slants. Relies on reading the receiver's eyes over finding the ball. Room for improvement with his angles to the ball-carrier in run support.
grade: 6.24 (Will eventually become an average starter) Next Gen: 76 (good)
OG - Christian Haynes: UConn 6'3", 317
combine: 5.03s 40, 33"vert, 8'6"broad jump, 25reps
2023: 3rd All-American
strengths: Compact & powerful through his upper body. Understands angles and accelerates through his targets. Gets into blocks with a strong desire to move & finish his opponent. Moves his feet to catch counters and twists at either gap.
weaknesses: Helmet comes before his hands too often into contact. Average run-blocking range & gets grabby during sustain phase. Might not have enough length to redirect speedy gap attacks in pass protection.
grade: 6.27 (Will eventually become an average starter) Next Gen: 78 (good)
QB - Spencer Rattler: South Carolina 6', 211
combine: 4.95s 40, 32"vert, 9'broad jump
2023: '24 Senior Bowl MVP, 68.9 compl%, 3,186yds, 19TDs/8INTs, 97car/104yds/4TDs
strengths: Feet follow his eyes and throws with accuracy when comfortable. Takes his time but is capable of getting through full-field reads. Stands tough in the face of pressure & willing to take shots to complete throws. Helps his own cause by slipping past would-be sacks to extend the play.
weaknesses: Struggles to consistently process efficient reads & opportunities. Eyes float to and stay with primary receiver even against tight coverage. Leaves too many in-breaking throws on the receiver's back hip. Creates too much commotion for his receivers between the hashes. Muscle & accuracy on move throws are below-average. Defaults into back-leg throws when pressure begins to mount.
grade: 5.95 (Average backup/Special teamer) Next Gen: 72 (good)
OT - Kinglsey Suamataia: BYU 6'5", 326
combine: 5.04s 40, 28"vert, 9'2"broad jump, 31reps
2023: 2nd All-BIG 12
strengths: Patient with punch timing to prevent hand counters. Uses size & strength to ride the rusher and stall momentum. Good lateral quickness in outside zone and acceleration as a pulling tackle. Effective in climbing, tagging & sealing targets in space.
weaknesses: Average slide quickness forces his gate to open prematurely. Lacks sudden hands to find opponent's frame first. Heavy-footed recoveries won't help much when beaten. Sloppy hand placement limits block control in the run game. Fairly average contact balance at the point of attack.
grade: 6.17 (Good backup with the potential to develop as a starter) Next Gen: 79 (good)
comp: Abraham Lucas
TE - Jaheim Bell: Florida St. 6'2", 241
combine: 4.61s 40, 35"vert, 10'4"broad jump
2023: 2nd All-ACC, 39rec/503yds/2TDs, 4car/2yds/1TD
strengths: Runs well to stretch the field both before and after the catch. Toughness to finish contested catches in the middle of the field. Able to create 1st downs out of catch-&-run throws in heavy traffic. Has versatility for a variety of alignments all over the field.
weaknesses: Hip tightness shows up in his route running & stride length in the open field. Turns to the QB and gears down rather than finishing routes at time. Struggles with instincts and feel as a run blocker. Hands & catch radius are slightly below-average.
grade: 5.89 (Average backup/Special Teamer) Next Gen: 76 (good)
