The Steelers hosted another group of pre-draft visitors Monday, and it’s no surprise that most of them were defensive backs.
The Steelers are looking to get younger and better in the secondary, specifically at safety. Monday’s visitors were Colorado cornerback Ken Crawley, Alabama cornerback Cyrus Jones, Virginia Tech outside linebacker Dadi Nicolas, Boston College safety Justin Simmons, Maryland safety Sean Davis, Ole Miss defensive lineman Robert Nkemdiche, West Virginia safety Karl Joseph and South Carolina wide receiver Pharoh Cooper.
Previous visitors included Ohio State safety Vonn Bell, Boise State safety Darian Thompson and Florida safety Keanu Neal. The Steelers pick 25th in the first round, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Steelers use that pick on a defensive back or defensive lineman.
Steelers Coach Mike Tomlin is always one of the most visible head coaches on the Pro Day circuit. He spent time with Joseph after West Virginia’s Pro Day last week.
The Steelers are still deep at wide receiver even with Martavis Bryant suspended for a year, but a year after drafting Sammie Coates and bringing him along slowly they could take another mid-round wide receiver and follow a similar plan. Cooper, who’s just 21, had 17 receiving touchdowns over his final two seasons at South Carolina.
A talented player with some off-field questions to answer, Nkemdiche is one of the wildcards of this year’s draft. He’s been busy on the pre-draft visit circuit as teams try to get some of those questions answered.