Steelers Hosting Michigan ILB Junior Colson for Pre-Draft Visit

The Pittsburgh Steelers are hosting Michigan inside linebacker Junior Colson for a pre-draft visit on Wednesday. Colson is the second inside linebacker to visit the facility after NC State’s Payton Wilson visited Pittsburgh on Tuesday.

Steelers inside linebackers coach Aaron Curry went out of the pro day trail to scout Cedric Gray, Trevin Wallace, and Tommy Eichenberg, so, unsurprisingly, the team is still interested in adding another linebacker. Most of it comes down to Cole Holcomb’s status remains in the air after a severe knee injury. Kwon Alexander is beginning to work back from his Achilles injury but still may not be ready for some time if the team is interested in re-signing him.

Colson is still just 21 years old and is the consensus top linebacker in the class. It is a bad class, but Colson will likely be taken off the board at some point in the first two rounds. He measured in at 6-foot-2, 238 pounds at the NFL Combine but did not end up testing throughout the process due to a right hamstring injury.

Colson was named a two-time Second-Team All-Big 10 selection and helped become the engine for Michigan’s impressive defense. It is interesting to note that Colson came to Michigan and played almost immediately, preventing him from gaining any experience on special teams. So, that would have to be taught to him, but he will be drafted early enough to where he might see starting reps right away.

Regardless, Colson brings an excellent, complete skillset to the table with an upside on top of that. His athleticism stands out, and he plays with reckless abandonment when he comes downhill. It is not hard to see why the Steelers would be interested in someone with his intangibles and toughness. It’s just if they would be willing to draft a linebacker that early with so many other needs dotting the roster.