The Pittsburgh Steelers have been going through the pre-draft process over the last several months, and the organization has been very thorough in evaluating every potential prospect. General Manager Omar Khan and Head Coach Mike Tomlin have been around the country to many Pro Days, and they have brought in prospects for pre-draft visits. It is important not to read too much into the pre-draft visits or the Pro Day representatives attending, as it can all be a facade as teams look to hide their true interests.
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Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin smiles as General Manager Omar Khan looks on during a team workout at the UPMC Sports Complex in Pittsburgh, PA.
The pre-draft process is very competitive, as is the draft itself. Teams around the league have no clue what others are thinking, so organizations try to cover up their true interests. Some franchises do this by bringing in the teammates of guys they are actually interested in for pre-draft visits, or by sending different position coaches to certain Pro Days. Tomlin has a little bit of this to him, as he was asked by the media on Tuesday about how competitive the draft can be and how he tries to be deceptive.
"Yeah, I was getting ready to say, it's a game to be played," Tomlin explained. "It's competition. It is fun, certainly. I think about it at Pro Days, you guys watch us move, whoever I interact with, wherever I go, sometimes it's real, sometimes it's not. But that's a fun component of the competition. The same can be said about who we bring in on pre-draft visits."
Teams always have ulterior motives, and that is something that is important for the fan base to understand. In Pittsburgh's case, the players brought in for pre-draft visits are usually targets for the organization in the draft. However, there might be some players in the group of 30 who are brought in for visits that the team is just bringing in to keep up with some charade.
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Steelers' Mike Tomlin at Georgia's Pro Day.
Tomlin also spoke about his actions at Pro Days, and how the media likes to keep a close eye on him everywhere he goes. This doesn't just mean keeping up with which schools he attends, but it also means keeping track of which prospects he is seen speaking with during those Pro Days. Tomlin is aware he is being watched like a hawk, which is why some of these conversations are with real intention, and some of them are designed to throw the media and other teams off the Steelers' scent.
This is all a part of the game that is being played by every team in the NFL leading up to the draft. It is important that each organization gets to know the prospects they are interested in, while also being cautious of who is watching. True intentions need to be hidden, or else other teams could jump a franchise in the draft and take advantage of it.
Steelers Could Use The Pre-Draft Process For Future Planning
When the Steelers attend a Pro Day or bring in a prospect for a pre-draft visit, it is not always with the intention of drafting that player. If that player is in the league after their rookie contract, the Steelers could pursue them down the line as a free agent or as a trade target. The organization could then look back to their evaluations of that player prior to their NFL career, and use that to help the franchise decide whether or not that player could be a worthwhile addition.
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Steelers' Mike Tomlin smiles with QB Justin Fields after he won the home run derby.
It is always interesting to see how invested the Steelers once were in a player after that athlete is signed or acquired via trade. Quarterback Justin Fields was a player who Tomlin seemed to be very interested in during his Pro Day in 2021, and he wound up trading for him in 2024.
What do you think of Tomlin intentionally being deceptive during the pre-draft process? Let us know in the comments below!
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