(Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)
Mike Tomlin and Kevin Colbert, along with offensive line coach Adrian Klemm, were at the Ohio State pro day today. The Steelers love drafting Ohio State players, so it wasn't a surprise that they had a heavy presence. Tomlin reportedly had a nice long talk with Buckeye's quarterback Justin Fields and linebacker Baron Browning at the pro day.
According to Nick Farabaugh of Steelers Now, Buckeye's guard Wyatt Davis and running back Trey Sermon have met with the Steelers via Zoom a few times. Sermon reportedly said the Steelers really "like his game."
"Wyatt Davis projects well as a starting right guard at the NFL level and it should not take him very long to work himself into that role. Davis should be expected to claim a starting role during his rookie season in the NFL — thanks in large part to impressive NFL bloodlines and the mauling presence up front that will help create ample space in the run game. Davis is at his best on inside zone where his blend of lateral mobility and functional power can combine to push and uproot defenders at the point of attack to create gaping lanes for his ball carriers. Davis is a multi-year starter with the Buckeyes and although his play peaked in 2019, there's a clear and obvious ceiling with Davis' game that would make him a game changing presence up front along an NFL offensive line. Teams who implement more frequent outside zone concepts will need to provide some added focus to securing and sustaining blocks after first contact if they hope to unlock the best of what Davis has to offer — but a large part of his appeal is that he's got the physical tools to execute any kinds of concepts at a high level. Teams who love maulers are going to find him hard to ignore."
"Ohio State running back Trey Sermon is one of the hottest running back prospects in football on the heels of an offensive explosion amid the Ohio State Buckeyes’ run to the National Championship game. Sermon wrangled the primary ball-carrier duties after splitting the load for much of the season with Master Teague III and has made the most of his opportunities; shredding two high-profile defenses in high-profile games. Sermon’s skill set and production will be the latest argument against drafting running backs high in the draft—Sermon is expected to be a mid-round prospect thanks to some inefficiencies and a lack of production on third downs; but on a team that runs inside and split zone with success, Sermon can be super productive (just as he was in such concepts for the Buckeyes down the stretch). Sermon has the physicality, contact balance, ball security, and toughness to be an early-down back and shoulder the majority of the load for an NFL team—he’ll be an economic option for zone-based teams looking to boost their ground game and add some toughness into the mix. As an added bonus, between his tenure at Oklahoma and his one season at Ohio State, Sermon has not logged 200-plus carries in a single season; there’s reason to believe that there should be plenty of life left in his legs for a significant long-term return on investment."