3 reasons why the Steelers 2020 NFL Draft could be one of their worst

General Manager Kevin Colbert of the Pittsburgh Steelers (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
General Manager Kevin Colbert of the Pittsburgh Steelers (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images) /
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TALLAHASSEE, FL – MARCH 29: Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin talks with FSU Head Coach Jimbo Fisher during Florida State Pro Day at the Dunlap Training Facility on the campus of FSU on March 29, 2016 in Tallahassee, Florida. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images)
TALLAHASSEE, FL – MARCH 29: Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin talks with FSU Head Coach Jimbo Fisher during Florida State Pro Day at the Dunlap Training Facility on the campus of FSU on March 29, 2016 in Tallahassee, Florida. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images) /

Canceled Pro Days, no facility visits

A disadvantage that all organizations share this year is the lack of Pro Days teams were able to attend. According to a Pro Day schedule from NFL.com, more than 85 NFL Pro Days were canceled due to the travel ban.

Despite more elaborate scouting departments and advanced analytics, teams are left in the dark this year when it comes to draft prospects. Without the ability to visit with prospects personally, the Steelers will be more likely to miss on players this year due to medical concerns they didn’t catch, athletic testing they didn’t get to observe, or character issues that weren’t foreseen.

In addition, teams always take the time to bring players in for facility visits prior to the draft to examine them physically and make sure they would be a good fit. The best substitute this year was video chatting with them on the computer, which is hardly an equal substitute.

Pittsburgh won’t be the only team at a disadvantage here, but compared to previous years, there could be a lot of draft misses as a result of the canceled Pro Days and visiting period.