Prior to the 2013 NFL draft at the end of this month each team can host 30 players for pre-draft visits. They can also meet with an unlimited number of players on campuses or at NFL sanctioned workouts. So far the Steelers have had 21 prospects in for meetings with the team.
Surprisingly, for a team that ranked number on in defense in 2012 and seems to have major needs on offense, the Steelers have met with 17 defensive players compared to only four offensive players. Their visits have been mainly focused on defensive backs and linebackers which are the two biggest areas of need on the defensive side of the ball in Pittsburgh.
The Steelers have also only met with two prospects expected to be taken in the first round of the draft. Those players are outside linebacker Jarvis Jones and corner Xavier Rhodes. Most of the Steelers visits have instead been focused on players expected to go in the mid-to-late rounds of the draft.
Also, Michigan State running back Le’Veon Bell has yet to be in for a pre-draft visit. However, the Steelers have already met with him at his pro-day and the running back stated that the Steelers are one of four teams that have shown the most interest in him at this point.
Another quick note, which is purely speculation on my part, is that the Steelers met with Tennessee quarterback Tyler Bray and West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith. Both players should be long gone by the time the Steelers would even entertain the idea of taking a quarterback in this draft so why meet with them? Well, four of the best receiving prospects in this draft will come from those two schools in the form of Cordarrelle Patterson, Justin Hunter, Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey. With the Steelers need at receiver I would guess that those meetings were less about the quarterbacks and more about the weapons they had at their disposal.
The NFL Draft is almost a game between the NFL teams and keeping your cards held back as long as possible is an advantage. Smokescreens are a big part of the draft and perhaps the Steelers don’t want to let other teams know just how interested they are in a receiver prior to the draft in hopes that one of the top prospects or their favorite prospect falls to them at seventeen. Again, though, with the secretive nature of teams leading up to the draft that is purely speculation on my part.
Below is the full list of the players the Steelers have met with at this point for pre-draft visits. They still have nine more visits at their disposal and will likely go through more of them this week with the draft starting next Thursday night.
Steelers Pre-Draft Visitors:
- Texas A&M RB Christine Michael
- Ohio St. OLB John Simon
- Florida State ILB Vince Williams
- Georgia OLB Jarvis Jones
- Southern Miss OLB Jamie Collins
- Rutgers ILB Khaseem Greene
- Clemson S Jonathan Meeks
- Fresno State S Phillip Thomas
- Penn State ILB Michael Mauti
- Clemson OLB Malliciah Goodman
- TCU WR Josh Boyce
- UCLA RB Jonathan Franklin
- Nevada S Duke Williams
- Syracuse SS Shamarko Thomas
- Utah State CB Will Davis
- San Diego State OT Nic Embernete
- Connecticut CB Blidi Wreh-Wilson
- Tharold Simon CB LSU
- Connecticut LB Sio Moore
- William and Mary CB B.W. Webb
- Florida State CB Xavier Rhodes
