First-hand feedback on offensive line class gives Khan, Steelers leg up

There is no wasted motion when it comes down to scouting the futures of the franchise.

The crown jewel of the NFL offseason begins with Thursday night's NFL Draft, in which the Steelers will select a main piece to their puzzle for the present and future. Many options are on the table for the 20th overall pick at many positions of need, and Omar Khan, Mike Tomlin, and the rest of the Steelers' brass are putting their finishing touches on what that draft board might look like.

Offensive line has been a priority in this pre-draft process. That doesn't come directly from the mouths of Khan or Tomlin; it comes from the actions the Steelers have taken dating to the late-January Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala. and through the NFL Combine and pre-draft visitation periods. Tackle and center are positions of need, and the Steelers have placed themselves in position to address those needs. 

They wasted no motion in doing so. Assistant offensive line coach Isaac Williams was sent all over the country to scout, and the Steelers brought in several prospects to the South Side for official visits. Now, they're looking to take that feedback and apply it to a draft loaded with offensive line talent.

"It's extremely valuable," Khan said in Monday's press conference at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. "We put them in those positions to gather information for a reason. We utilize it and I think the Senior Bowl, he would tell you the same thing, the Senior Bowl was probably a great experience for him. But the knowledge he gets from getting to know those guys over a seven- or eight-day period, it's extremely important. We had great feedback from him. And, you know, I'm glad we did it."

The Steelers tend to act in a pattern within this process, and sending Williams to coach offensive linemen at the Senior Bowl and NFL Combine were done deliberately. In last year's draft process, defensive backs coach Grady Brown was one of the defensive coordinators in the Senior Bowl and got a head start on scouting that position of need. The Steelers selected Joey Porter Jr. with pick No. 32, but one of the players Brown and the Steelers encountered at that 2023 Senior Bowl -- Darius Rush -- ended up becoming a depth piece as a rookie.

Williams coached the American Team's offensive line at the Senior Bowl. That roster included Oklahoma tackle Tyler Guyton, a probable first-round pick, and Arkansas' Beaux Limmer, a top interior lineman who could be picked on the second or third day of the draft. He ran the offensive line drills at the NFL Combine and then scouting the Big 12's conference pro day in Texas. Among those who tested at that Big 12 pro day were West Virginia center Zach Frazier, who is a candidate to be selected by the Steelers with one of their top two picks.

Khan and Tomlin love position flexibility. Surely Williams' reports from these events include potential linemen who could play a different spot along the line.

"You know, usually there's some intellect things in terms of front identification, and so forth, communication-oriented things, and they have to show an aptitude for that," Tomlin said. "And preferably, they have something in their background. Whether they were a backup guy that did it in practice, so you didn't see him do it in the game, or maybe a guy that maybe did it as a young guy and evolved to other positions as they've gotten older. Usually, there's a history of some kind there and an aptitude there that allows you to make those assumptions."

The resources spent in preparing for this class extend to direct and indirect outlets. The trickle-down effects from a busy free agency period helped shake some things up, but there also have been some constants that have remained throughout the offseason.

"I'd say the strengths are still the strengths," Khan said. "You know, obviously we've done a lot of work in the last month and guys are moving up and down and you feel good about certain guys and not as good about other players, but overall, it's pretty close."

Khan has been consistent in response to questions about the center position. At the NFL Combine, at the owner's meetings in Orlando, Fla., and on Monday, he gave a similar response backing Nate Herbig and other potential options already in house who could start a center with Mason Cole released. Unless Khan is bluffing and has now bluffed publicly three times, that is the sentiment being shared publicly with respect to the centers.

"Certainly it's an important position and I've mentioned this before, but we have guys on the roster that have flexibility," Khan said. "So, we have options there. But it's, you know, if there's some good players at the position and, you know, we'll see where it shakes out."

Tackle might be a different story, however, given Williams' heavy involvement in this offseason. Offensive line coach Pat Meyer has also been busy. He went to Oregon State's pro day to see top tackle Taliese Fuaga, he traveled to Oregon's pro day to watch top center Jackson Powers-Johnson, and he stopped by Washington's pro day to observe tackles Troy Fautanu and Roger Rosengarten. 

Additionally, Khan and Tomlin went to Georgia's pro day to see Mims and Alabama's pro day to see first-round tackle prospect J.C. Latham. They also went to Michigan's pro day where six offensive linemen tested.

The Steelers are heavily involved in this tackle class and showed that they were going to be from the onset, and that continued through the in-house visitation process.

Of the Steelers' 30 allotted guests at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, 11 are offensive linemen and six are tackles: Fuaga, Fautanu, Guyton, Georgia's Amarius Mims, Notre Dame's Blake Fisher, and Georgia State's Travis Glover. Fuaga, Fautanu, Guyton, and Mims are all ranked inside of Pro Football Focus' top 30 prospects and project as first-rounders. Fisher is a Day 2 prospect, and Glover could be had in Day 3. Williams went to Georgia State's pro day to scout Glover.

The Steelers -- in Khan's words from Monday -- will take their best player at a needed position. Last year, the Steelers struck a trade to move up for Broderick Jones. That can't be ruled out again if there is someone special on their minds at a certain point in the top 19 picks.

"We have plenty of strategy meetings," Khan said. "We've already started between now and Thursday about where the threshold would be, or our comfort level is with certain guys. And you know, there's a million hypotheticals you go through right now and amongst the GMs, we all talk amongst each other. So, we kind of have a feel who wants to move up, move down and you're kind of prepared. But to say it happens with three minutes left on the clock, probably not the case. I'd say we probably have a good idea before we're even on the clock."