Steelers Senior Bowl Thoughts: Top needs revealed, Pittsburgh targets breakout star

MOBILE, Ala. — The Pittsburgh Steelers love themselves some Senior Bowl players, and that looks primed to continue in 2025. With such heavy focus on the defensive line in the first two days, what happened on the third day? Here are my notes from the practices:

– Assistant general manager Andy Weidl showed up for the Steelers on Thursday. Head coach Mike Tomlin, general manager Omar Khan, and others have left to head ack to Pittsburgh. Weidl was at the Shrine Bowl last week and is now in Mobile, conducting interviews and getting to know the players. Tracking Weidl, he spent time at just about every need, including quarterback, wide receiver, running back, defensive line, and cornerback. So, it is no surprise to see the Steelers trace what are their top five needs in a class deep at three of them and shallow in two (quarterback and wide receiver).

– A member of the strength and conditioning staff, Rod Moore, was another member on the field for the Steelers. Other scouts, such as Sheldon White, remained in a booth, but Moore watched exclusively defensive linemen. At one point, he talked to Tennessee’s Omarr Norman-Lott.

– Weidl, on the other hand, spent a lot of time on the star of the week, Toledo’s Darius Alexander. Alexander is explosive and dominated the entire week. Out of the players down here, he may have been the biggest winner from the defensive line crop. He was once a day-three pick, but this is the start of a strong process that will likely get him into day two. He said he met with Weidl on Thursday night and is firmly on the team’s radar.

– Florida State cornerback Azareye’h Thomas has only furthered his stock this year to me. He looks like a player who will end up a first-round pick. The combination of size and speed at the position, plus ball skills, is necessary in an NFL where receivers are better than ever, and man coverage is being deployed with a lot of blitz-heavy schemes. Thomas can do all of that, but not only is he a press-man corner, but he is comfortable in off-man coverage and has good eyes in zone coverage. This is a complete cornerback.

– Virginia Tech running back Bhayshul Tuten is someone who I have talked up a lot this week, and for a good reason. Tuten is a dynamic zone running back with breakaway speed. That speed is rare, and it alone puts him on the Steelers’ radar, given their needs. However, Tuten’s pass-protection ability was a nice surprise. In backs-on-backers, Tuten stunned just about everyone he went up against with great fight and surprising hand punch. That gives him some unique three-down ability that I am not sure I knew he had, but he could, an that only furthers his stock.

– I do like Miami running back Damien Martinez. He is the opposite of Tuten, and no one will confuse him for a burner. However, he does the little things of the position right. He presses the line of scrimmage and creates extra yards for himself. In terms of identification and overall technique, his pass protection is some of the best in the entire class. On top of that, Martinez is just a solid football player. The Steelers could go for dependability with someone like him rather than true speed.

– Utah State wide receiver Jalen Royals is a fun player. His thicker build allows him to create yards after the catch, and his explosiveness in and out of breaks pops off the tape immediately. Royals won consistently this week. He, along with TCU’s Jack Bech, really grabbed my attention. I like Bech’s fit a little more in the Steelers’ offense, but Royals is a dynamic weapon.

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