Steelers Brass Travels to Alabama Pro Day

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin and general manager Omar Khan travelled to Alabama pro day on Wednesday to check out a litany of potential first round options. Those include offensive tackle J.C. Latham and cornerbacks Kool-Aid McKinstry and Terrion Arnold. Of course, they are not the only players there for the team to watch, as wide receiver Jermaine Burton would remain a solid option in the middle rounds.

Latham, if you are on the train for an offensive tackle, could be the top player to watch. Hestarted at right guard before moving to right tackle for Alabama in 2022. A two-year starter at that position, he would likely play right tackle in the NFL and move Broderick Jones back to left tackle, where he played in college. Jones played right tackle in 2023.

Despite his size, Latham is no lumberer, and he is seen as a well-rounded player that can be elite in both run and pass blocking. In 915 pass-rush snaps as a tackle at Alabama, he gave up just two sacks, per Pro Football Focus.

In 2022, Arnold made the switch to cornerback, earning playing time while starting to establish himself as a key piece on Nick Saban’s defense. But in 2023, he blew all expectations out of the water. When the greatest college coach of all time starts putting more responsibility in a particular defensive back, asking him to play inside and out, you know that he’s the real deal. When Arnold speaks, you can tell that he oozes confidence in his ability to thrive in whatever role he’s needed in.

McKinstry has made a name for himself as one of the more consistent and disruptive cornerbacks in all of college football. In 2022, the sophomore forced 18 incompletions which was second-most among corners in the power-5 according to PFF. His targets were cut in half this past season, as a known commodity that opposing quarterbacks avoided like the plague.