INDIANAPOLIS -- The football world will descend upon Indianapolis this week as the annual NFL Scouting Combine begins Wednesday.
The Combine is always an interesting mix of college and pro football alike as most of the 2019 college prospects arrive in Indianapolis to be poked, prodded and questioned by the 32 NFL teams. Oh yeah, they work out on the field, as well.
That last part is the portion of the process viewers at home can watch. And it's also the one many focus on from this event.
But it's those other things NFL teams look at most closely. They've seen the players on the field. They've scouted and done their homework. This, however, is an opportunity for them to do medical checks and sit down with prospective draft prospects, with each team getting 60 private interviews from among the more than 300 players who attend.
Who will the Steelers include among their 60 prospects and, perhaps more importantly, who should you keep an eye on while watching from home?
Here's a short list:
The inside linebackers: Even casual fans know LSU's Devin White, Michigan's Devin Bush and Alabama's Mack Wilson. And while they are, indeed, the three most complete inside linebackers available in this draft, they're hardly the only ones in whom the Steelers will likely show interest. Keep an eye on Florida's Vosean Joseph, Terrill Hanks from New Mexico State and West Virginia's David Long. All are mid-round guys who could interest the Steelers if they choose to pass on an inside linebacker in the first round. Also pay attention to the measurements of the top three guys. If White runs in the 4.5s or better, as expected, he could be a top-12 pick. Will Bush measure in at taller than 5-foot-10? If so, does he top 5-foot-11? Can Wilson change direction well enough to push past Bush as the No. 2 guy behind White? This should be an interesting position to watch.
The cornerbacks: Who among the group of LSU's Greedy Williams, Georgia's Deandre Baker and Washington's Byron Murphy will establish himself as the top prospect here? Williams is a tall, lanky defender with reported measurements of 6-foot-2, 185 pounds. Is he actually that tall? And is he actually 185 pounds? Some have listed him as lighter than that. He also has some off-field concerns that will need to be addressed. Baker needs to run well to solidify his draft status. He's been estimated as a guy who will run in the 4.5s. Can he do better than that on Indianapolis' traditionally slower track? Remember, Joe Haden was timed at 4.57 seconds back in 2010 in the 40, which is hardly slow, but left some teams wondering if he had the deep speed to be a star in the NFL. He bettered that at Florida's pro day and wound up being a top-10 pick. Baker has a similar skill set. Finally, can Murphy display the overall skills to pass both of the other guys to be the top corner picked? Beyond those three, there are some other interesting prospects who could force their way into the first round with solid performances on and off the field, including Clemson's Trayvon Mullen, Penn State's Amani Oruwariye, Temple's Rock Ya-Sin and Lonnie Johnson Jr. of Kentucky.
Receivers: Assuming they do trade Antonio Brown -- and those talks should heat up considerably this week -- the Steelers will likely be in the market to add another young pass catcher in this draft. While that probably won't be in the first round, there are some solid prospects who will be available beyond Round 1. In fact, rounds 2 and 3 could be the sweet spot to take one. Oklahoma's Marquise Brown won't work out here because of a Lis Franc foot surgery, but it will be interesting to see how big he is. He's listed at 5-foot-10, 168 pounds, which is very small for the NFL. He also happens to be Antonio Brown's cousin and has the nickname "Hollywood." His weigh-ins and private meetings will be important, as will his medicals. Ohio State's Parris Campbell, Deebo Samuel of South Carolina, Riley Ridley of Georgia, Stanford's J.J. Arcega-Whiteside and Kelvin Harmon of North Carolina State are all potential second or even third-round players who could interest the Steelers.
Brown trade talks: As mentioned earlier, the Brown trade talks will be as big a part of this combine as anything for the Steelers. Expect Kevin Colbert to be working overtime not only meeting with prospective draft prospects, but other teams, as well, as the front offices of the other 31 teams all will be in attendance. Alex Smith's trade from Kansas City to Washington last year for a second-round draft pick was announced at last year's combine. The Brown news will be hot at this combine, and while it's doubtful the Steelers finalize anything this week, they could lay a lot of the groundwork on a trade.
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