The pre-draft scouting trail continues as Mike Tomlin and Omar Khan find themselves on the road once again. After making stops at big schools like Georgia and Clemson, the Pittsburgh Steelers had a pivotal decision to make this week.
March 20th included a handful of notable Pro Days, including Alabama, Texas, Ohio State, and USC. Each of these schools has NFL Draft prospects worth visiting, but Tomlin and Colbert can't be in all five places at once.
As expected, Pittsburgh's brass opted to attend Alabama's Pro Day. This makes sense for obvious reasons. Alabama routinely pumps out high-end NFL talent, and they have several players who could be selected in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Kalen DeBoer with Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin at Alabama Pro Day pic.twitter.com/bJcnaa5SXd
— Alabama Crimson Tide | AL.com (@aldotcomTide) March 20, 2024
Alabama's most notable prospects include EDGE Dallas Baker, CB Terrion Arnold, OT JC Latham, and CB Kool-Aid McKinstry. The latter three names are all prospects who could be high on Pittsburgh's radar.
Which players could Steelers target from Alabama's Pro Day
After the initial wave of free agency, the Pittsburgh Steelers still have a glaring need at offensive tackle. Dan Moore Jr. wasn't cutting it in 2023, while Chukwuma Okorafor was released early in the offseason (and later signed with the Patriots).
This means that Broderick Jones is the only tackle on the Steelers' roster with any sort of promise and upside. Pittsburgh needs a running mate to pair with Jones long-term, and JC Latham is a player who is expected to go somewhere in the middle of the first round this year.
Latham is a huge offensive tackle at 6'5 3/4'' and 342 pounds with long arms (35 1/8'') and huge hands (11''). Though he might not be the perfect scheme fit in Arthur Smith's wide zone offense, this could be the type of OT Omar Khan and Andy Weidl are looking for to beef up the offensive line. However, it's been rumored that some teams view Latham as a guard at the next level.
Latham isn't the only first-round candidate that Mike Tomlin and Omar Khan visited at Alabama's Pro Day. A pair of cornerbacks -- Terrion Arnold and Kool-Aid McKinstry -- could find themselves in the first round as well when it's all said and done.
After an excellent 2023 season, Arnold is considered the better prospect of the two. Some draft analysts have Arnold as the best cornerback in the class this year, and he could be off the board before the Steelers make their selection with the 20th overall pick.
McKinstry could still be on their draft radar. The former 5-star recruit was the number one cornerback coming out of high school in 2021. He is expected to be selected after Arnold, but he could still wind up being a first-round pick.
Based on history, Mike Tomlin and the general manager need to be on hand at a player's Pro Day in order for that player to be selected by the Steelers in the first round. This is a great sign for players like Latham, Arnold, and McKinstry.
However, Tomlin and Khan did miss out on several big workouts when they attended Alabama's Pro Day. They were not on hand to see Texas WR Adonai Mitchell. If history repeats itself, Mitchell won't be Pittsburgh's first-round selection in 2024.