Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin is in attendance at the Georgia pro day on Wednesday, according to a report by Taylor Bisciotti of NFL Network.
Tomlin is regularly in attendance at the Georgia pro day, and his daughter Harley is a gymnast for the Bulldogs, so his presence there is not particularly surprising, even though there is not an obvious Georgia player that will be in the mix for the Steelers at pick No. 21 in the first round this year.
Two Bulldogs will likely be off the board before the Steelers pick in the first round, and are not at positions of need for the Steelers at any rate: edge rushers Jalon Walker and Mykel Williams . Both of them are generally expected to be top-15 picks.
The one player that could be drafted in the range of the top Pittsburgh pick is safety Malaki Starks . He is currently No. 23 on the NFL Mock Draft Database consensus big board. But the Steelers have starting safeties Minkah Fitzpatrick and DeShon Elliott under contract for 2025, so that position has not been seen as a major need for the team. Starks could be converted to a slot cornerback at the NFL level, and that is a position of need for the Steelers with Cam Sutton a free agent.
Malaki Starks, Georgia Athletics
Guard Tate Ratledge, center Jared Wilson and linebacker Smael Mondon Jr. are all day two picks at positions of dubious need for the Steelers, as well.
Where Pittsburgh could really come into play when it comes to Georgia prospects is on day three of the draft.
Running back Trevor Etienne is a fit for Arthur Smith's wide zone scheme, and is currently projected to be taken in the fifth round. The Steelers could take another day three guard as a future replacement to a starter, and if so, Dylan Fairchild in the fifth round could make some sense.
Defensive tackle Nazir Stackhouse is part of a deep defensive tackle class that the Steelers could be looking to double dip in. He's currently projected for the sixth round.
Tackle Xavier Truss , tight end Benjamin Yurosek , wide receiver Arian Smith and defensive lineman Warren Brinson are intriguing options for the Steelers in the seventh round or as undrafted free agents.
Georgia is the first pro day stop for Tomlin. It'll be worth monitoring if he stays on the road for the Clemson pro day on Thursday. That has also been one of his prominent stops, but the Tigers also don't have an obvious fit for the Steelers at No. 21.
Tomlin has said that when it comes to big-time programs like Georgia and Clemson, his attendance is just as much about starting relationships with the future draftable players on those campuses as it is the current crop.
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