Two Clemson players become strong draft candidates for Steelers in second round

The Steelers had their brass on hand for Clemson’s Pro Day this year. Here’s why these two NFL Draft Prospects will be possibilities at pick 49 for Pittsburgh.

If you have been following the Steelers closely throughout the draft process over the years, it’s easy to pick up on some of the players they have the most interest in. With all of their Combine and Pro Day meetings with players like T.J. Watt, Devin Bush, and Terrell Edmunds, it wasn’t like they tried to conceal their interests.

While many were shocked to hear that Pittsburgh didn’t have any representatives on hand for either Wisconsin or Oklahoma Pro Days on Tuesday, the showed a very real level of interest in Clemson.

According to Brooke Pryor of ESPN, both head coach Mike Tomlin and general manager Kevin Colbert were on hand at Clemson’s Pro Day:

The Steelers don’t just send their brass out to every Pro Day (nor could they), but having Tomlin and Colbert on hand, in addition to others, shows that there is a real level of interest in Clemson prospects on their part.

Because of this, two players now check the boxes to be in contention for Pittsburgh’s second-round pick: Wide receiver Tee Higgins and cornerback A.J. Terrell.

Higgins is a player that makes a ton of sense for Pittsburgh. They desperately are in need of depth at the wide receiver position, and they struggle to make plays down the field. At 6’4” and 216 pounds with 34 1/8” arms, Higgins is a huge deep threat with a massive catch radius. As a junior in 2019, he averaged 19.8 yards per reception and added 13 touchdowns. However, after an impressive showing at his Pro Day, he seems like a player who is destined to go in the back half of the first round, or maybe slide into the second.

A.J. Terrell is another player who could quietly be on Pittsburgh’s radar with the 49th pick. Though cornerback certainly doesn’t seem like a need for the Steelers, there is apparently some interest on their part. Pittsburgh met with 3 cornerbacks at the NFL Combine this year, according to Walter Football’s 2020 NFL Draft Prospect Visit Tracker.

In a very good cornerback class, Terrell is a player who could hear his name called as early as day one or as late as the middle of day two. Though Joe Haden and Steven Nelson are both under contract for the 2021 season, it has been rumored that Mike Hilton may not return. Perhaps the Steelers are just doing their due diligence, but Terrell is a prospect who could be in play at pick 49, based on historical drafting trends.

While Clemson is a massive program with a handful of other talented NFL prospects, these are the two guys who have a chance to be second-round picks by the Steelers this year. Keep your eyes open for more Tomlin and Colbert sightings in the future. They could dictate which direction Pittsburgh goes early in the draft.