(Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
Mike Tomlin and Kevin Colbert were not at the Tulsa pro day to watch Collins, but according to Michael Beck of Behind the Steel Curtain via Jeremie Poplin, Steelers scout Kelvin Fisher and assistant outside linebackers coach Denzel Martin were in attendance at Tulsa’s pro day today.
It sure looks like the Steelers will target an inside linebacker in the draft, as they've met with a ton of prospects who play the position. Collins paired with Devin Bush would be a perfect match, as both play sideline-to-sideline and are exceptional at playing the run and in coverage. At 6-foot-4, 260 pounds, Collins ran a 4.56 in the 40-yard dash.
Lance Zierlein of NFL.com has the Steelers selecting Collins at 24th overall in his latest mock draft.
"When the need matches the talent available, everyone is happy. Collins has throwback size, but new-school athleticism and coverage ability as a three-down player," Zierlien said about Collins being a fit for the Steelers.
Dale Lolley also has the Steelers selecting Collins at 24th overall in a mock draft on Steelers.com. "The 6-4, 250-pound Collins would be a nice compliment to Devin Bush," Lolley said.
History would suggest that Collins won't be the Steelers first-round pick being that Tomlin and Colbert didn't show up to his pro day. Also, since Colbert joined the Steelers organization in a front-office position in 2000, the Steelers have drafted only one player in the first round that went to a non-Power Five school, and that was Ben Roethlisberger in 2004 out of Miami of Ohio.
It's not a given that Collins won't be selected by the Steelers at 24th overall, but Tomlin and Colbert almost always attend their first-round picks pro day and they have all played at Power Five conference schools. With Roethlisberger as the exception, but that was during the Bill Cowher and Colbert era.
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