Welcome to the 29th daily installment of the NFL Draft 1-through-32 series on DK Pittsburgh Sports, intended to introduce you, a prospect at a time, to the top 32 players in the class on a consensus basis, leading right up to the main event.
That, of course, will begin Thursday in Kansas City, Mo., though all 32 teams, including the Steelers on the South Side, will operate from their local headquarters.
NO. 29: ZAY FLOWERS
Boston College wide receiver
Flowers is the No. 29-rated player on Pro Football Focus' big board. He is not the largest wide receiver by stature, but his shiftiness and athleticism allow for him to attack defenders and gain separation.
COLLEGE BACKGROUND
The third-team Associated Press All-American, first-team All-ACC selection, and Biletnikoff Award finalist Flowers set the Boston College single-season mark with his 12 touchdowns, tied the program record with his 78 receptions, and posted the third-most receiving yards in a season in Boston College history with 1,077 in 2022 (while quarterback Phil Jurkovec, who since has transferred to Pitt, was injured for four games).
Over his four-year career, Flowers caught 200 passes for 3,056 yards and 29 touchdowns while adding 57 carries for 345 yards and two rushing scores.
The Fort Lauderdale, Fla., native was a consensus three-star prospect out of high school, per the 247Sports composite. He earned 29 offers out of high school, including from Pitt.
NFL COMBINE, PRO DAY
Though he was listed at 5-foot-11 out of high school, Flowers measured at 5-foot-9 and 182 pounds at the NFL Combine. His 4.42 40-yard dash tied for ninth among Combine receivers, his 35.5-inch vertical was 5.5 inches off of the pace among WRs, and his 10-foot-7 broad jump was eight inches off the pace among WRs. His NFL Next Gen Stats grade of 82 ranked sixth among his position.
At his pro day, Flowers performed in receiving drills and caught punts in front of scouts from 23 teams, including a scout from the Steelers.
(Mike Tomlin nor Omar Khan were there, per reports, as they were at Alabama's pro day the date prior.)
Zay Flowers, BC pro day, in front of scouts for 23 NFL teams (including 2 from Patriots).
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) March 24, 2023
Solidified his standing, per one scout: Quick, starting slot receiver, punt returner, first-round caliber. pic.twitter.com/uuxdy0CVlT
MOCK DRAFT
The USA Today mock draft consensus tracker has Flowers going at No. 31 overall to Kansas City, with an average draft slotting at 28.167. Our Chris Halicke's latest mock draft and my own mock draft have Flowers being picked by the New York Giants at pick No. 25.
THE HIGHLIGHTS
THE STEELERS' STANDPOINT
This would be a fun one if the Steelers are dead set on a wide receiver at No. 17 or are willing to trade the 32nd pick to move back into the first round to grab Flowers.
Here is the roadblock to that: The Steelers already have a player like Flowers in Calvin Austin III, who was picked in the fourth round last year but missed all of his rookie season after surgery to remedy a Lisfranc sprain.
COREY'S TAKE
Flowers is an intriguing prospect as a first rounder. I, personally, find it hard to spend a top-31 pick on a guy who profiles as a slot receiver. Ask the Rams how Tavon Austin panned out after they drafted him eighth overall in 2013.
(This is partially PTSD on my part. The Rams were my favorite team growing up. I thought Austin would help remedy the franchise from its glory a decade prior and with Sam Bradford entering his third year, only for the No. 1 overall pick in 2010 to play in just seven games in that 2013 season. Thankfully the Rams were able to grab Aaron Donald in the 2014 draft and I was able to celebrate a Super Bowl victory in 2022.)
THE REST
1. Alabama QB Bryce Young
2. Georgia DT Jalen Carter
3. Alabama DE Will Anderson Jr.
4. Kentucky QB Will Levis
5. Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud
6. Florida QB Anthony Richardson
7. Illinois CB Devon Witherspoon
8. Texas Tech DE Tyree Wilson
9. TCU WR Quentin Johnston
10. Oregon CB Christian Gonzalez
11. Northwestern OT Peter Skoronski
12. Ohio State WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba
13. Pitt DT Calijah Kancey
14. Iowa DE Lukas Van Ness
15. Utah TE Dalton Kincaid
16. Maryland CB Deonte Banks
17. Alabama S Brian Branch
18. Penn State CB Joey Porter Jr.
19. Ohio State OT Paris Johnson Jr.
20. Tennessee OT Darnell Wright
21. Clemson DT Bryan Bresee
22. Georgia DE Nolan Smith
23. Clemson DE Myles Murphy
24. Oklahoma OT Anton Harrison
25. Iowa State DE Will McDonald IV
26. Georgia OT Broderick Jones
27. Texas RB Bijan Robinson
28. Notre Dame TE Michael Mayer
