Steelers brass kicks off Pro Day scouting trail with a visit to Clemson

We are entering one of the most exciting parts of the NFL offseason. Free agency kicked off on Monday, and the Pittsburgh Steelers were quick to nab CB Patrick Peterson after losing Cameron Sutton to the Detroit Lions. Now it's already time to hit the scouting trail for Pro Day visits.

On March 14th, the Clemson Tigers held their Pro Day. According to Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network, multiple NFL coaches and general managers were on hand. This included Mike Tomlin and Omar Khan.

At this time, it's unclear whether or not assistant GM, Andy Weidl, has joined them at Clemson's Pro Day, but it's probably safe to assume that he will be heavily involved in the action as well. Khan did admit at the NFL Combine that Weidl would be responsible for assembling the draft board.

It's no surprise to see Pittsburgh's brass on hand, as there are several players they should be interested in early in the draft. Defensive tackle Byran Bresee has been frequently mocked to the Pittsburgh Steelers thanks to their need for an interior defender alongside Cameron Heyward.

Bresee doesn't have the most consistent tape, but he displayed outstanding movement skills and athletic traits at the NFL Combine. Pittsburgh also looks for a certain body type at the 5-technique position, and at 6'5 5/8'', and roughly 300 pounds, Bresee is very much in the mold of Heyward and Stephon Tuitt coming out of college.

In addition to Bresee, the Steelers will keep a watchful eye on linebacker Trenton Simpson. The standout defender for Clemson has good size and length to go with remarkable 4.43 speed at the LB position. His play style even somewhat resembles Ryan Shazier during his Ohio State days as he can blitz from the middle or mirror pass-catchers down the field.

On top of these two, Myles Murphy is the Clemson product expected to the first one drafted from his school. Murphy didn't work out due to a hamstring injury, but plans to hold his workout on April 4th.

For most of the pre-draft process, Bresee has been mocked in the back half of the first round, but some think there's a chance he falls to the 32nd pick where the Steelers will be selecting at the top of the second round. Simpson has mostly been viewed as a second-round prospect from the beginning who could be available to Pittsburgh at pick 32 but seems likely to be off the board before pick 49. Murphy is considered a top-15 selection.

Bryan Bresee and Trenton Simpson become the first two players to check the boxes for Pittsburgh in terms of receiving formal visits at both their Pro Day and the NFL Combine. They will certainly be on the map for the Steelers this April.