Pre-Draft Visit Tracker (Sticky Please!!)

[SteelThePain82]

It's that time of year again.
The NFL Draft right around the corner, free agency is about to hit, and mock drafts and speculation are abound.
I put one of these together last year and had a good time doing it.
So I'm going to throw one together again this year and try to keep it updated clear on through the NFL Draft (April 26-28)
It'd be cool if one of the admins could sticky this thread! 

Without further ado, here is the 2018 List of Steelers Draft Prospect visits/interviews/rumored interest

Quarterbacks
Lamar Jackson - Louisville - Draft Profile (from NFL.com) - Highlight Reel (by JustBombsProductions)
Mason Rudolph - Oklahoma State - Draft Profile (from NFL.com) - Highlight Reel (by DelanosVeryOwn)
Brogan Roback - Eastern Michigan - Highlight Reel (by GM6ix Productions)

Running Backs
Kerryon Johnson - Auburn - Draft Profile (from NFL.com)
Derrius Guice - Louisiana State University - Draft Profile (from NFL.com)
Rashaad Penny - San Diego State - Draft Profile (from NFL.com) - Highlight Reel (by JustBombsProductions)
Reggie Bonnafon - Louisville

Fullbacks
John David Moore - Louisiana State University

Wide Receivers
James Washington - Oklahoma State - Draft Profile (from NFL.com)
Dante Pettis - Washington - Draft Profile (from NFL.com)
Justin Watson - Penn State - Draft Profile (from NFL.com)
Christian Kirk - Texas A&M - Draft Profile (from NFL.com)
Russell Gage - Louisiana State University - Draft Profile (from NFL.com)
Richie James - Middle Tennessee State - Draft Profile (from NFL.com)
Devin Gray - University of Cincinnati

Tight Ends
Ian Thomas - Indiana - Draft Profile (from NFL.com)
Dallas Goedert - South Dakota State - Draft Profile (from NFL.com) - Highlight Reel (by JustBombsProductions)
Troy Fumagalli - Wisconsin - Draft Profile (from NFL.com)
Will Dissly - University of Washington - Draft Profile (from NFL.com)
Mike Gesicki - Penn State - Draft Profile (from NFL.com) - Highlight Reel (by JustBombsProductions)
Durham Smythe - Notre Dame - Draft Profile (from NFL.com)
Hayden Hurst - South Carolina - Draft Profile (from NFL.com)

Offensive Line
Jordan Mailata - Former Rugby Player

Defensive Line
Da'Ron Payne - Alabama - Draft Profile (from NFL.com) - Highlight Reel (by JustBombsProductions)
Harrison Phillips - Stanford - Draft Profile (from NFL.com)
Derrick Nnadi - Florida State - Draft Profile (from NFL.com)
Joshua Frazier - Alabama - Draft Profile (from NFL.com)
Deadrin Senat - University of Southern Florida - Draft Profile (from NFL.com)
B.J. Hill - North Carolina State - Draft Profile (from NFL.com)
Curtis Cotham - Penn State

Linebackers
Rashaan Evans - Alabama - Draft Profile (from NFL.com)
Malik Jefferson - Texas - Draft Profile (from NFL.com)
Leighton Vander Esch - Boise State - Draft Profile (from NFL.com)
Jerome Baker - The Ohio State University - Draft Profile (from NFL.com)
Shaquem Griffin - Central Florida - Draft Profile (from NFL.com) - Highlight Reel (by JustBombsProductions)
Shaun Dion Hamilton - Alabama - Draft Profile (from NFL.com)
Tremaine Edmunds - Virginia Tech - Draft Profile (from NFL.com) - Analysis (by Brett Kollmann)
Dorian O'Daniel - Clemson - Draft Profile (from NFL.com)
Jermaine Carter - Maryland - Draft Profile (from NFL.com)
Joel Iyiegbuniwe - Western Kentucky - Draft Profile (from NFL.com)
Macklin Weaver - Eastern Illinois

Defensive Backs & Safeties
Ronnie Harrison - Alabama - Draft Profile (from NFL.com)
Justin Reid - Stanford - Draft Profile (from NFL.com)
Marcus Allen - Penn State - Draft Profile (from NFL.com)
Minkah Fitzpatrick - Alabama - Draft Profile (from NFL.com) - Highlight Reel (by JustBombsProductions) - Analysis (by Brett Kollmann)
Jessie Bates III - Wake Forest - Draft Profile (from NFL.com)
Tre Flowers - Oklahoma State - Draft Profile (from NFL.com)
Rederick (Duke) Dawson - Florida - Draft Profile (from NFL.com)
Marvin Stewart - North Carolina - Draft Profile (from NFL.com)
Tre Johnson - Villanova
Jordan Brown - James Madison
Malik Boynton - Austin Peay


Pro Days
(A comprehensive list of the college pro-days that the Steelers have gone to)

Alabama
Wake Forest
Middle Tennessee State
Oklahoma
Virginia Tech
Oklahoma State
Penn State
University of Cincinnati
Ohio State
Boise State
South Dakota State
UCF
James Madison
Louisville
Easter Illinois
Villanova

Pre Draft Visits
(A comprehensive list of prospects that the Steelers have or are rumored to be bringing in for pre-draft visit)

DL - Curtis Cothran
CB - Rederick (Duke) Dawson
LB - Joel Iyiegbuniwe
QB - Brogan Roback
LB - Jermaine Carter
DL - BJ Hill
ILB - Malik Jefferson
S - Marvin Stewart
ILB - Dorian O'Daniel
ILB - Leighton Vander Esch
RB - Reggie Bonnafon
FB - John David Moore
WR - Richie James
OT - Jordan Mailata
WR - Russell Gage
WR - Christian Kirk
S - Justin Reid
CB - Duke Dawson
WR - Justin Watson
LB - Jermaine Carter

That's all for now folks!
Stay tuned for updates including more prospects, highlight reels, and analysis!

Update: 4-15-2018
Added "Official Draft Visits" section and updated prospects.
Just 10 days to go!

Update: 3-26-2018
Added "Pro Days" section.   More players and "Official Pre-Draft Visits" coming soon!

Update: 3-14-2018
Added some newly reported prospects and played around a bit with the font on the NFL Draft Profile links to make them stand out better.
More to come!

Update: 3-18-2018
Added more reported players and further tweaked the fonts on hyperlinks to keep them differentiated from each other.
Stay tuned!


Sources:
Film Room with Brett Kollmann (insightful analysis and breakdown)
JustBombsProductions - Highlight Reels (without shitty music)
http://walterfootball.com/ProspectMeetings/ByTeam
http://www.steelersdepot.com/2018/03/201...-updating/
https://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/20...ng-combine

[SteelThePain82]

LB Leighton Vander Esch admits 'it would be pretty special' to play for Steelers

To be honest, I'd be glad to have him!

[SteelThePain82]

Steelers meet with Minkah Fitzpatrick at NFL Combine

Unless they decide to trade the farm for him....

[Rollers]

Esch might be there but I think that's to high for him

[Rollers]

It's to bad Gesicki isn't what we need at the first pick He'll go mid round 2 which is probably right for him. Not much of a run blocker on the line but man he can stretch the field for a tight end and he has great hands. How much fun would it be to see him out there at tight end with AB Ju Ju and Bryant all at the same time? If he fell to us at round 2 I'd be ecstatic

[mcmillenandwife]

I say we go Lynn Swann in the 1st, Jack Lambert in the 2nd, we don't have a 3rd, so let's go John Stallworth in the 4th, Mike Webster in the 5th and then we can maybe pick up Donnie Shell as a free agent. 

[SteelThePain82]

Rollers said:

It's to bad Gesicki isn't what we need at the first pick He'll go mid round 2 which is probably right for him. Not much of a run blocker on the line but man he can stretch the field for a tight end and he has great hands. How much fun would it be to see him out there at tight end with AB Ju Ju and Bryant all at the same time? If he fell to us at round 2 I'd be ecstatic

7 Visits with TE's so far.
I'd say it's pretty clear that they intend to target one at some point during the draft.
The only question would be when...
We desperately need help at LB and Safety, though Colbert and company seem to be hellbent on paying Le'Veon Bell a king's ransom to keep him around, so the odds of finding serviceable solutions via free agency don't look promising and that just leaves us with the draft....

Yeah, TE, QB, and RB all look tempting, but you just can't just forget about a Defense that:

• Can't tackle worth a damn
  
• Had huge breakdowns in coverage
  
• Crumbled in run support after Shazier went down
  
• Gave up THAT many points to the Jags in the playoffs!!!!
  

Hate to say it, but I have absolutely ZERO faith in Tomlin's abilities to develop players on defense so we're going to NEED to find talent in the draft if we want to get #7 before #7 retires...

Rollers said:

Esch might be there but I think that's to high for him

Over at the BGZ on FB, Giles (I think his handle was Frame on here) suggested trading down out of the 1st and grabbing BPA of our positions of need from there on.
I tend to favor this idea for a few reasons:

1. Our first round drafting as of the late has been VERY hit or miss as we seem to "REACH" for need too much.
   
2. We currently lack a 4th round pick, which a trade down could very well rectify.
   
3. Plain and simple, we need extra bodies for depth and for camp.
   
4. Returning to my first point, picking BPA in the 2nd round and beyond plays into our strength rather than our shortcomings with 1st round gambles. 
   

[RaynorShyne]

I say we go Lynn Swann in the 1st, Jack Lambert in the 2nd, we don't have a 3rd, so let's go John Stallworth in the 4th, Mike Webster in the 5th and then we can maybe pick up Donnie Shell as a free agent. 

That was still in this lifetime, Tim :-P

Need a couple more generations to pass to have another draft like '74

[Rollers]

Steelers are giving Mason Rudolph some love. Please no

[SteelThePain82]

Steelers are giving Mason Rudolph some love.  Please no

My guess is that they won't be drafting a QB this year.
If anything, the interviews are just a ploy to build hype and urgency to QB starved teams to draft a QB earlier in the hopes that it'll allow a coveted prospect to fall into the Steelers hands.  

Of course, I may also be giving Tomlin and Colbert far more credit than they actually deserve here 

[Rollers]

with Bostic in I would not be surprised to see them draft Giesecki from PSU. I actually would not be unhappy with that

[SteelThePain82]

with Bostic in I would not be surprised to see them draft Giesecki from PSU.  I actually would not be unhappy with that

It's a possibility.
If there's NOBODY at ILB or S there that's worth the value for the pick (which may very well be the case).
It would sure up the ONLY (somewhat) weak spot on the offensive side of the ball.


If not a prospect like Vander Esch or Evans, they may look in later rounds at guys like Jerome Baker or Shaquem Griffin.
Also looks like Safety should be plentiful in this draft class outside of the 1st round with guys like Bates III and Marcus Allen among others.

[Chucktownsteeler]

Both Bostic and Burnett are great on-field communicators that can call plays. Both intelligent players. 


This opens the draft up, they can select the BPA.

[SteelThePain82]

Both Bostic and Burnett are great on-field communicators that can call plays. Both intelligent players. 


This opens the draft up, they can select the BPA.

I’ll grant you that they’ve, at LEAST, addressed the 2 positions of need via free agency, but I believe they (SHOULD) still target ILB, S, DL, OLB, and TE in the draft.
There are no guarantees on Bostick staying healthy and Burnett is already 29 years old so they’ll need to get a young guy to groom back there.

The 2 FA signings are placeholder band-aids at best.
They may justify drafting Gesecki with the 1st round pick, but ILB and S will still need addressed later in the draft.

[Chucktownsteeler]

Both Bostic and Burnett are great on-field communicators that can call plays. Both intelligent players. 


This opens the draft up, they can select the BPA.

I’ll grant you that they’ve, at LEAST, addressed the 2 positions of need via free agency, but I believe they (SHOULD) still target ILB, S, DL, OLB, and TE in the draft.
There are no guarantees on Bostick staying healthy and Burnett is already 29 years old so they’ll need to get a young guy to groom back there.

The 2 FA signings are placeholder band-aids at best.
They may justify drafting Gesecki with the 1st round pick, but ILB and S will still need addressed later in the draft.

I just don't see the concern at TE. Probably be used less now that drunken Haley is gone. We're fine with Old McDonald, Tippy-toes James, and Grimble. I think they go BPA, is a WR out of the question? What if the WR from Alabama is there? Do you take him?

[Chucktownsteeler]

With the recent signings of the 2 new Killer B's the Steelers draft has been blown wide open. Although both are short term fixes it does allow them to think more of the BPA now.


Round 1.) Vita Vea - NT Washington. This will strengthen the Steelers up the middle. I see mock's having him go mid-round but I think he drops. Good value pick here and we finally say good riddance to Dan McCullers.

Other Round 1 options: Leighton Vander Esch - ILB, Mason Rudolph - QB, Calvin Ridley - WR

Round 2.) Jessie Bates III - Wake Forest S - Tomlin has a huge crush on this guy. This is our man, write it down.

Other Round 2 options: Hayden Hurst - TE, Christian Kirk - WR, Martinas Rankin - OT

Round 3.) Josey Jewell - Iowa - ILB - Kid's a tackling machine and ST demon. More bodies are needed at ILB.

Other Round 3 options - Rasaad Penney - RB, Tim Settle - NT, Malik Jefferson, LB

Round 4 - No pick

Round 5a.) Royce Freeman - Oregon - RB - Not sure how our stable of RBs are always depleted. We'll need to draft one this year and spend a high pick on one next year. The party's over, this is Bell's last season in Pittsburgh.

Round 5b.) Chuckwuma Okarafor - OT Western Michigan - Need OL depth, good value here.

Round 6.) Josh Frazier - Alabama DL - More depth need, as stated above McCullers is gone, body for develop on practice squad.

Round 7a.) Noah Brown - Ohio State - WR - Can make the touch catch. Good ST'er, DHB is probably gone.

Round 7b.) Shalom Luani - Washinton State - S - Make or break player, not much risk here.

UDFA - Please, oh please let's sigh a punter to compete with Jordan Berry. One of the worst punters in the league last year.

[SteelThePain82]

With the recent signings of the 2 new Killer B's the Steelers draft has been blown wide open. Although both are short term fixes it does allow them to think more of the BPA now.


Round 1.) Vita Vea - NT Washington. This will strengthen the Steelers up the middle. I see mock's having him go mid-round but I think he drops. Good value pick here and we finally say good riddance to Dan McCullers.

Other Round 1 options: Leighton Vander Esch - ILB, Mason Rudolph - QB, Calvin Ridley - WR

Round 2.) Jessie Bates III - Wake Forest S - Tomlin has a huge crush on this guy. This is our man, write it down.

Other Round 2 options: Hayden Hurst - TE, Christian Kirk - WR, Martinas Rankin - OT

Round 3.) Josey Jewell - Iowa - ILB - Kid's a tackling machine and ST demon. More bodies are needed at ILB.

Other Round 3 options - Rasaad Penney - RB, Tim Settle - NT, Malik Jefferson, LB

Round 4 - No pick

Round 5a.) Royce Freeman - Oregon - RB - Not sure how our stable of RBs are always depleted. We'll need to draft one this year and spend a high pick on one next year. The party's over, this is Bell's last season in Pittsburgh.

Round 5b.) Chuckwuma Okarafor - OT Western Michigan - Need OL depth, good value here.

Round 6.) Josh Frazier - Alabama DL - More depth need, as stated above McCullers is gone, body for develop on practice squad.

Round 7a.) Noah Brown - Ohio State - WR - Can make the touch catch. Good ST'er, DHB is probably gone.

Round 7b.) Shalom Luani - Washinton State - S - Make or break player, not much risk here.

UDFA - Please, oh please let's sigh a punter to compete with Jordan Berry. One of the worst punters in the league last year.

I don't know where DB has been lately, but I'm sure he'd be ABSOLUTELY thrilled with Vita Vea!
Then again, they did just re-sign Big Dan McCullers, so who knows   

My gut still tells me that Jerome Baker is the pick at ILB if we don't go with Vander Esch...

[Chucktownsteeler]

I have no clue why they re-signed McCullers. I think he was in for 17 snaps all last season.

[Rollers]

spent time with Lamar Jackson down in Louisville

[Chucktownsteeler]

spent time with Lamar Jackson down in Louisville

How was it?

[SteelThePain82]

Sorry for the update drought.
I’ll be looking to add more Highlight Reels and Draft Profiles as we round down to the final days leading up to the Draft!

[RaynorShyne]

Looking at the official visits, I'm inclined to say if ILB - Leighton Vander Esch is there at 28 - they'll jump.

If Evans from Alabama is there, they'd be crazy to pass on him.

ILB - Malik Jefferson (Texas) would be a serious 2nd round look - and I'd grab him if he ere still there at 3. No way on God's green earth he goes tonight

[RaynorShyne]

The Pundits from NFL.com have us all over the damn place:

Charley Casserly has us taking Jaire Alexander - CB, Louisville  (I'm doubtful)

Mike Mayock says Sony Michel - RB, Georgia  (no.)

Daniel Jeremiah and Bucky Brooks say Rashaan Evans - LB, Alabama  (If he's there, lock it in)

Peter Schrager says Josh Jackson - CB, Iowa (with the recent signings, I don't think we go DB in the first.   If the Alabama saftey is there, maybe....)

Chad Reuter says Jessie Bates - S, Wake Forest (no.)
Kevin Colbert said he'll let us know in about 7 hours  (I believe he'll know by then - I'd lock his pick in )

[Rollers]

pick another linebacker that will bust. seems a trend

[RaynorShyne]

TERRELL EDMUNDS
VIRGINIA TECH
S

Huh.   Didn't see that one coming

I wonder if they're eyeing Malik Jefferson - OLB in round 2

[RaynorShyne]

I can't believe I missed this:
Steelers trade Martavis Bryant to Oakland Raiders

The Steelers have traded Bryant to the Raiders for the No. 79 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, Pittsburgh announced Thursday night.

[Rollers]

TERRELL EDMUNDS
VIRGINIA TECH
S

Huh.   Didn't see that one coming

I wonder if they're eyeing Malik Jefferson - OLB in round 2

dude would have been there in round 3.  just a horrible pick

[RaynorShyne]

TERRELL EDMUNDS
VIRGINIA TECH
S

Huh.   Didn't see that one coming

I wonder if they're eyeing Malik Jefferson - OLB in round 2

dude would have been there in round 3.  just a horrible pick

I'm assuming they know something we don't......     Still not quite understanding this one.   It's an $11 Mil decision, I'd expect they'd get it right

[Rollers]

TERRELL EDMUNDS
VIRGINIA TECH
S

Huh.   Didn't see that one coming

I wonder if they're eyeing Malik Jefferson - OLB in round 2

dude would have been there in round 3.  just a horrible pick

I'm assuming they know something we don't......     Still not quite understanding this one.   It's an $11 Mil decision, I'd expect they'd get it right

Jarvis Jones    Bud Dupree

[RaynorShyne]

Well, I've been completely wrong. In a draft where I thought we'd go LB / CB, we went S, WR, QB, OL

Got the Cowboys #1 & #2 (Oklahoma State Cowboys) - at least we know they have chemistry

For a long time, numerous pundits had Mason Rudolph at the very top of the QB pool. From my perch in Central Texas - heart of Big 12 land, I'd take Rudolph every single day over Baker Mayfield