Steelers must be closely watching these prospects at the NFL Combine

Steelers should be watching Mazi Smith

Every Steelers fan that wants this team to draft a nose tackle early should have Mazi Smith circled on their combine tracker. While not an elite producer in college, I can’t recall a combine getting so hyped up for a player this big. Smith flashed elite athleticism in school despite playing an athletically limited role.

People are expecting to see his stock shoot up if he performs as expected, and people are already comparing him to Dontari Poe. That said, Smith is depended on a strong athletic profile to keep his name hot. His college tape is filled with inconsistencies, he lacks effectiveness as a pass rusher, and despite his size, he doesn’t always command blocks as he should.

If Smith blows the combine up, people will look past his hit-and-miss college play and hope to develop him as an athletic big man. If he doesn’t live up to the hype though, it is hard to justify Smith going early in the draft. He could be an athletic solution to the Steelers need along the defensive line, but he needs to prove that he does have that elite athletic profile.

The Steelers will aggressively scout the combine this week, and personally, I hope they take a close look at these six prospects. Each one fills a need and has something to prove. Strong measurements and testing will go a long way, but poor results could severely damage their stock.