Josh Liskiewitz of Pro Football Focus recently conducted a seven-round mock draft for the Pittsburgh Steelers , and he believes Florida State star cornerback would be an ideal fit for the Black and Gold at 21st overall.
Given how the secondary performed down the stretch, the Steelers certainly are in need of another top-tier cornerback to pair with Joey Porter Jr. Cam Sutton looked washed, and Donte Jackson isn't a long-term answer.
"Thomas has excellent size at 6-foot-1 and 191 pounds, and he uses his length and frame effectively in man coverage. He gave up completions on less than 48% of throws into his coverage in each of the past two seasons and forced a combined 20 incompletions and two interceptions over that span," Liskiewitz wrote.
The Steelers have a slew of needs in free agency and the draft, but cornerback, wide receiver, defensive line , quarterback and running back are the most pressing holes on the roster.
In the second round, PFF had the Steelers addressing the wide receiver position by selecting Miami wide receiver Xavier Restrepo.
"Restrepo is an excellent route technician who consistently gets open off his breaks. He also flashes the ability to make plays with the ball in his hands, as 545 of his 1,216 receiving yards in 2024 were earned after the catch," Liskiewitz wrote.
And then in the third round, Liskiewitz had the Steelers landing Notre Dame interior defensive lineman Rylie Mills.
To cap the seven-round mock, PFF had the Steelers landing Ohio State quarterback Will Howard (fourth round), Michigan running back Kalel Mullings (fifth round) Eastern Washington wide receiver Efton Chism III (seventh round) and Michigan State guard Luke Newman (seventh round).
"Howard is an excellent athlete for being such a well-built quarterback and flashes accuracy and touch to all parts of the field. Besides a tough outing against Michigan , he racked up 12 big-time throws compared to two turnover-worthy plays in his other final seven games of the 2024 season (including the playoff championship run)," Liskiewitz wrote.
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