Sports Illustrated revealed earlier this month that many people around the league think the Pittsburgh Steelers have significant interest in UCLA edge rusher Oluwafemi Oladejo.
Speaking with Sportskeeda in an exclusive interview , Oladejo confirmed he spoke with Tomlin for a bit at the Senior Bowl , saying he asked Tomlin a question that led to a longer conversation.
"Yeah, I saw some stuff on the internet about that. Mike Tomlin is a great dude he was on the field during our practices," Oladejo told Sportskeeda. "I'm a pretty extroverted guy, I communicate a lot, so just said what's to up him, I asked him a few questions about football.
"The first question I asked him was like, who's the greatest football player you've coached before. It just kind of led to a long conversation. And I see people noticed that, but he's a great coach, and a great guy."
While other NFL head coaches are in attendance at the Senior Bowl, Tomlin likes to gets an up-close perspective on players. Building a personal relationship is something that he really values.
Oladejo started 27 of 46 games in his college career. He played two seasons at UCLA (2023 and 2024) and two at California (2021 and 2022). He recorded 238 total tackles, 20.5 tackles for loss, six sacks, one forced fumble and three fumbles recovered across his collegiate career.
Oladejo moved from inside linebacker to the edge spot during the 2024 season and finished the season with career highs in tackles for loss (13.5) and sacks (4.5). With the late position change, Oladejo is considered a raw prospect, but there's a ton of upside.
"Oladejo is a promising bundle of clay for his future NFL coaches," Kyle Crabbs of the 33rd Team wrote . "A supersized stack linebacker, Oladejo is well-built for life on the edge after an 11th-hour position switch that opens a whole new world for him as an NFL player. The challenge will be the transition amid such a steep level of play."
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