The words spoken by Art Rooney II during his year-end press conference signaled what’s to come this off-season.
The following day, a full Steelers contingent showed up for the official first day of field practice at the annual Reese’s Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama. As expected, both head coach Mike Tomlin and general manager Omar Khan were in attendance. Alongside them were defensive coordinator Teryl Austin, offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, director of pro scouting Sheldon White, and director of player scouting Mark Sadowski.
Right from the start, the Steelers made their intentions clear. Khan was spotted in the stands scouting defensive linemen from the National Team, while Tomlin and Austin were front and center during the one-on-ones between defensive and offensive linemen.
Tomlin himself interacted with two different defensive tackles during Day 1. The first was Virginia Tech's Aeneas Peebles, one of the day's top performers in one-on-one and team drills. Steelers reporter Nick Farabaugh of Penn Live detailed that following two impressive reps during team drills, Tomlin came over to talk with him—a sign of acknowledgment and perhaps an indication that Peebles could potentially be on his radar.
One player definitely on Tomlin's radar was Ole Miss standout Walter Nolen. According to reports, Tomlin paid close attention to him during drills and spoke with him several times throughout the process. Nolen is widely regarded as a potential first-round pick, and with the Steelers emphasizing the need for defensive linemen who can stop the run, Nolen might be at the top of their list.
Considering this year's running back class is one of the deepest in recent history, expect the Steelers to spend quality time with this position group as Senior Bowl week continues, leading up to gameday on Saturday.
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