4 Senior Bowl practice standouts likely on Steelers draft-day radar

With Senior Bowl Practices in full swing, here are four prospects that have lit it up so far, and could potentially be in play for the Steelers come draft day.

The Senior Bowl gives collegiate players a chance to show off against other top draft prospects every year. With that comes the inevitable rise and fall of certain players’ draft stocks. In the days leading up to the actual Senior Bowl game, fans and coaches get an extra look at who those players could be.

Mike Tomlin, Omar Khan, Brian Flores, and several other Steelers scouts
have all been in attendance this week at the Senior Bowl practices to get a first-hand glance at who may be sporting the black and gold come this fall. It is no question the Pittsburgh Steelers have multiple holes to fill if they want to be competitive in a brutal AFC next season.

The free agency period will almost certainly create a few more holes if the team cannot resign players such as Cam Sutton, Terrell Edmunds, and Larry Ogunjobi, who are Unrestricted Free Agents.

Long story short, the Pittsburgh Steelers have a lot of work to do this offseason, and this week at the Senior Bowl provides them the perfect opportunity to get the ball rolling.

Steelers could target mid-round safety with elite athleticism

The Pittsburgh Steelers arguably had one of the best Safety groups in the entire league last year. Terrell Edmunds continued to make great strides as a starting Strong Safety, making big-time plays in the backfield, as well as some key pass deflections.

Damontae Kazee provided tremendous depth behind Edmunds, recording two interceptions along with 20 tackles on the season in just nine games. So you might be wondering, “Why a Strong Safety on day two or three of the draft?”

Both Edmunds and Kazee are Unrestricted Free Agents and could opt to play football elsewhere next season if the right team comes calling. While it should be a priority for the Steelers to bring back one of them at the very least, it isn’t guaranteed that Pittsburgh’s Safety depth will be as solid as it was last season.

This is where Safety JL Skinner could come into play. Skinner played his collegiate ball in Boise, Idaho, and is the next Boise State Safety in a fairly long line of defenders to come out of the university that has made an impact at the next level. The former Mountain West standout measures 6’4 and 220 lbs. His large frame compares considerably to Baltimore Ravens Safety Kyle Hamilton, who was drafted in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft, as well as LA Chargers Safety Derwin James.

JL Skinner plays an incredibly physical brand of football and has the strength and size to make receivers think twice about running routes in his vicinity. On the first day of Senior Bowl practices, Skinner showed scouts just how effective of a tackler he can be, laying a punishing blow on BYU Wide Receiver Puka Nacua.

While his size and athleticism are his unquestionable strengths, his coverage skills can be lacking at times. Skinner seemed to improve his playmaking skills considerably last season, however, recording a career-high four interceptions.

With that being said, teams will not be drafting JL Skinner for his coverage abilities, and should not be too discouraged from unfavorable reps at the Senior Bowl. His play at the line of scrimmage and in the box is what separates him from many of the Strong Safeties in this year’s class.

The Pittsburgh Steelers could benefit greatly from a Strong Safety with Skinner’s skill set, especially if they are unable to retain either Edmunds or Kazee. The former Boise State Bronco could be playing himself into a third or fourth-round draft spot if he continues to impress the way he has this week at the Senior Bowl, and GM Omar Khan should consider making JL Skinner a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers with the 117th overall pick in the NFL Draft.