Now that the annual NFL owners meeting has wrapped up, we would expect to see the Pittsburgh Steelers brass back on the pro day scouting trail. There was a busy slate on March 30th with 9 pro days taking place. The most notable were Florida, Oklahoma, TCU, and Tennessee.
Ironically, all four of these schools have an offensive lineman who is projected to be taken with a top-40 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Interestingly, however, Mike Tomlin and Omar Khan were nowhere to be found.
Many consider players like Oklahoma OT Anton Harrison, Florida OG O'Cyrus Torrence, and TCU OG Steve Avila to be late first-round or early second-round picks. However, it's a bit concerning that Pittsburgh's brain trust didn't show up to scout Tennessee OT Darnell Wright.
In recent weeks, Wright has emerged as a strong first-round candidate -- and deservingly so. After diving deep into his film from the past two seasons, there is so much to love about his game. With an outstanding combination of mass, athletic traits, and technique, Wright is the most complete right tackle prospect in this draft class.
His strong tape in the SEC was highlighted by a fantastic game against Alabama's Will Anderson. Wright continued his strong performance into the Senior Bowl where he was arguably the best offensive lineman in Mobile.
Steelers may not consider Darnell Wright at pick 17
If there is something we can take away from Pittsburgh's scouting trail over the past 12 years it's that the Steelers simply don't draft players in the first round that their head coach/GM didn't visit with at their Pro Day.
Obviously, this could change with Omar Khan and Andy Weidl now running the show in the front office, but until we see that happen, there's reason to expect it. By this logic, the Steelers may not view Darnell Wright as a first-round candidate or a potential fit on their offensive line.
While offensive line coach Pat Meyer was spotted at Tennessee's Pro Day, the lack of Tomlin, Khan, or Weidl doesn't bode well for his chances of being their selection at pick 17 in the NFL Draft.
This doesn't exclude Wright from being a possible pick with the 32nd overall selection. But based on how fast he has been rising, it seems very unlikely that he will fall this far. It's worth noting that Pittsburgh sent their brass to Ohio State's Pro Day and had a dinner meeting with both Paris Johnson Jr. and Dawand Jones, so they clearly have an interest in taking an offensive tackle early.
It's still very possible that Darnell Wright could earn a top-30 pre-draft visit by the Pittsburgh Steelers; in which case he would be back on their radar. However, lacking the brain trust at his Pro Day doesn't help his odds of being a first-round pick by the Steelers in the 2023 NFL Draft