This time of year, the Steelers typically don't go out of their way to hide their intentions. At the Senior Bowl, Mike Tomlin and Teryl Austin were fixated on defensive linemen. Today at Ohio State's pro day at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center, the Steelers had a full contingent on hand to scout a strong crop of prospects.
Among those representing the Steelers were Tomlin, Austin, Omar Khan, Arthur Smith, director of college scouting Dan Colbert, coordinator of sports science Rod Moore and a couple other scouts. Typically, it'll be just Tomlin and Khan at the big pro days, maybe accompanied by one other significant coach. For example, Tomlin, Khan and Smith were at Texas' pro day yesterday in Austin.
But, the aforementioned group that made the trip to here, yeah, that's sending the house. You might think that could be due to the close proximity. After all, Columbus is just a three-hour drive from Pittsburgh. But, I doubt you'll see this type of group attend Penn State's pro day on Friday.
No, the reason why the Steelers had so many prominent people here is because Ohio State has a number of prospects Tomlin and Khan would love to draft next month.
The interest in quarterback Will Howard could not be more obvious. According to team sources I spoke with in Indianapolis, the Steelers had a formal meeting with the Downingtown, Pa., native at the NFL Scouting Combine. And from what they told me, Howard impressed during that meeting. The Steelers met with him again yesterday, ahead of today's workouts.
"Yeah, it's been really good with them," Howard said today. "I spent some time with them yesterday, with Coach Tomlin and Coach Smith. It's really good. I really like those guys."
Regardless of what happens with Aaron Rodgers, the Steelers need a long-term plan at quarterback. Howard doesn't project to be one of the top quarterbacks in this class, which is considered to be a relatively weak crop. But, there's obviously something about Howard that's got him on the Steelers' radar.
The team doesn't just meet with the same player over and over again for no reason. At the Combine last month, the team didn't double dip very much with players they had already met at the Senior Bowl. Instead, they focused more on the players they hadn't seen. Yet, here are Tomlin and Khan holding multiple meetings with Howard. All that's left is bringing him in for a pre-draft visit to complete the trifecta.
Howard did something to spark the Steelers' interest. I have it on very good authority that Tomlin did not have a high opinion of Howard several months ago. But, maybe his performance during Ohio State's run to a national championship changed things. During the four games in the college football playoffs, Howard completed 75.2% of his passes for 1,150 yards, eight touchdowns and two interceptions while averaging 10.6 yards per attempt. That completion percentage, yards per game and yards per attempt were all higher marks than during the regular season.
Even so, Howard is currently projected to be a Day 3 pick in the draft. The Steelers are clearly doing all their homework on him to see when might be an appropriate time to draft him.
Howard isn't the only player here that's on the Steelers' radar. Wide receiver Emeka Egbuka is a potential first-round pick, and the Steelers also met with him yesterday. Egbuka didn't work out at the Combine, but clocked in with an unofficial 4.49 40-yard dash today. He also ran several routes for Howard's throwing drills, and looked like the crisp route runner he was for the Buckeyes.
Both Ohio State running backs are also on the Steelers' radar. Both TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins are potential Day 2 picks, and I've been told the Steelers really like both players. Tomlin was seen today chatting it up quite a bit with Judkins. The team currently doesn't have a second-round pick, but they could always get back into the round via trade. So, it makes all the sense in the world to get to know these guys as much as possible.
With the Steelers having defensive line high on the list of priorities, defensive tackle Tyleik Williams was another player of note today. However, he fell during his 40-yard dash and sat up grabbing at his left hamstring. He had to be helped off the field and didn't participate the rest of the day.
The Steelers may end up not drafting anybody from Ohio State. They could also walk away from next month's draft with multiple Buckeyes. That's not what this process is about. The national champions have a lot of talent to offer, and the Steelers are getting as exposed to them as they can.
And if somebody such as Howard becomes a Steeler, all the work that's done now will be a reason why.
"It's close to home for me. It's close to here. There's a lot of things to like about it," Howard said. "You never know. Anything can happen. It's definitely a great spot. They all are."
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THE ASYLUM
Chris Halicke
4:56 pm - 03.26.2025Columbus, OhioSteelers' interest remains strong in Ohio State
This time of year, the Steelers typically don't go out of their way to hide their intentions. At the Senior Bowl, Mike Tomlin and Teryl Austin were fixated on defensive linemen. Today at Ohio State's pro day at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center, the Steelers had a full contingent on hand to scout a strong crop of prospects.
Among those representing the Steelers were Tomlin, Austin, Omar Khan, Arthur Smith, director of college scouting Dan Colbert, coordinator of sports science Rod Moore and a couple other scouts. Typically, it'll be just Tomlin and Khan at the big pro days, maybe accompanied by one other significant coach. For example, Tomlin, Khan and Smith were at Texas' pro day yesterday in Austin.
But, the aforementioned group that made the trip to here, yeah, that's sending the house. You might think that could be due to the close proximity. After all, Columbus is just a three-hour drive from Pittsburgh. But, I doubt you'll see this type of group attend Penn State's pro day on Friday.
No, the reason why the Steelers had so many prominent people here is because Ohio State has a number of prospects Tomlin and Khan would love to draft next month.
The interest in quarterback Will Howard could not be more obvious. According to team sources I spoke with in Indianapolis, the Steelers had a formal meeting with the Downingtown, Pa., native at the NFL Scouting Combine. And from what they told me, Howard impressed during that meeting. The Steelers met with him again yesterday, ahead of today's workouts.
"Yeah, it's been really good with them," Howard said today. "I spent some time with them yesterday, with Coach Tomlin and Coach Smith. It's really good. I really like those guys."
Regardless of what happens with Aaron Rodgers, the Steelers need a long-term plan at quarterback. Howard doesn't project to be one of the top quarterbacks in this class, which is considered to be a relatively weak crop. But, there's obviously something about Howard that's got him on the Steelers' radar.
The team doesn't just meet with the same player over and over again for no reason. At the Combine last month, the team didn't double dip very much with players they had already met at the Senior Bowl. Instead, they focused more on the players they hadn't seen. Yet, here are Tomlin and Khan holding multiple meetings with Howard. All that's left is bringing him in for a pre-draft visit to complete the trifecta.
Howard did something to spark the Steelers' interest. I have it on very good authority that Tomlin did not have a high opinion of Howard several months ago. But, maybe his performance during Ohio State's run to a national championship changed things. During the four games in the college football playoffs, Howard completed 75.2% of his passes for 1,150 yards, eight touchdowns and two interceptions while averaging 10.6 yards per attempt. That completion percentage, yards per game and yards per attempt were all higher marks than during the regular season.
Even so, Howard is currently projected to be a Day 3 pick in the draft. The Steelers are clearly doing all their homework on him to see when might be an appropriate time to draft him.
Howard isn't the only player here that's on the Steelers' radar. Wide receiver Emeka Egbuka is a potential first-round pick, and the Steelers also met with him yesterday. Egbuka didn't work out at the Combine, but clocked in with an unofficial 4.49 40-yard dash today. He also ran several routes for Howard's throwing drills, and looked like the crisp route runner he was for the Buckeyes.
Both Ohio State running backs are also on the Steelers' radar. Both TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins are potential Day 2 picks, and I've been told the Steelers really like both players. Tomlin was seen today chatting it up quite a bit with Judkins. The team currently doesn't have a second-round pick, but they could always get back into the round via trade. So, it makes all the sense in the world to get to know these guys as much as possible.
With the Steelers having defensive line high on the list of priorities, defensive tackle Tyleik Williams was another player of note today. However, he fell during his 40-yard dash and sat up grabbing at his left hamstring. He had to be helped off the field and didn't participate the rest of the day.
The Steelers may end up not drafting anybody from Ohio State. They could also walk away from next month's draft with multiple Buckeyes. That's not what this process is about. The national champions have a lot of talent to offer, and the Steelers are getting as exposed to them as they can.
And if somebody such as Howard becomes a Steeler, all the work that's done now will be a reason why.
"It's close to home for me. It's close to here. There's a lot of things to like about it," Howard said. "You never know. Anything can happen. It's definitely a great spot. They all are."
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