Steelers Meet with Three Top Linebackers at NFL Combine

INDIANAPOLIS — The Pittsburgh Steelers are showing interest in the top linebackers at the NFL Combine. They had formal meetings with Texas A&M linebacker Edgerrin Cooper, Michigan linebacker Junior Colson, and Clemson linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr. In addition to that, they have met with with Ohio State linebacker Tommy Eichenberg.

According to Ryan Fowler of the Draft Network. Cooper met with the Steelers multiple times throughout the Sheinr Bowl, and despite only being there for so long due to not participating in the week of practice itself, Cooper maintained that the Steelers were a team that stuck out in his interviews.

“I could tell they are really interested,” Cooper said to Steelers Now at the Shrine Bowl. “For sure, I think they like my game a lot.”

They reportedly love his game. Meanwhile, Trotter and Colson are two of the other top linebackers in the class. Coming from Clemson and Michigan, they have the type of pedigree that teams would like to see out of the linebackers, especially because the Steelers like to target those high-level schools.

Trotter, the son of former Eagles linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Sr., is a thumper in a modern linebacker body. He loved meeting with Mike Tomlin and noted that the Steelers were one of the teams he watched closely throughout his football life. The same thing is true for Colson. And it’s clear the team is looking at those early linebackers.

Pittsburgh will need a linebacker at some point this offseason. Kwon Alexander is heading into free agency off a torn Achilles, while Cole Holcomb returns from major knee surgery. In a bad linebacker class, these feel like a few guys who will be picked in the Top 100 of the NFL Draft. So, these are just a few names to watch, but if they want to get a young guy in there, these are some of the likely names.