Steelers Draft Digest: O’Cyrus Torrence Visit, Tomlin at Clemson Pro Day

The Steelers draft brass sets their third Top-30 visit while Mike Tomlin and staff will go on the road to their first pro day of the NFL Draft cycle.

: According to Justin Melo of the Draft Network, the Steelers are one of three known teams to have a Top-30 visit scheduled with Florida offensive guard O’Cyrus Torrence. They met with him formally at the NFL Combine and the Senior Bowl, so this continues the trend of visits and interests in the massive guard who was formerly at Louisiana with Billy Napier.

Torrence is the former teammate of Kevin Dotson and they played with each other on the same offensive line in the 2019 season when Torrence was a freshman with the Ragin’ Cajuns. The massive guard could be a potential pick at 17 or 32, but could be an ideal target in a trade-down scenario.

: In a new mock draft done by Ryan Fowler of the Draft Network, the Steelers end up landing Brian Branch, a versatile defensive back out of Alabama. With Cam Sutton on the move, this seems like a move that is even likelier, as Brnach can play multiple different spots, from slot cornerback to safety, at the position.

“Pittsburgh has a need both at corner and safety, so why not get a player that can do both in this NFL mock draft,” Fowler said. “One of my favorite defenders in the class, Brian Branch wins pre-snap, where his ability to diagnose concepts was consistently on display for the Crimson Tide. While some of you may scratch your head here with a desire for a ‘CB1′, talk to me in a few years’ time when he becomes one of the premier defenders in the league due to his versatility.”

The Steelers love themselves some versatility on the backend of their defense. They lost that with Sutton, but Branch would allow them to mix and match pieces on an unprecedented level should they land him to play next to Minkah Fitzpatrick in 2023 and beyond.

: On his podcast, Bryant McFadden noted that Mike Tomlin is in Clemson, South Carolina, meaning that he will likely be at Clemson Pro Day tomorrow. There are more than enough players to watch there, including standout defensive lineman Bryan Bresee, who is an option at 17. However, tight end Davis Allen, edge rusher K.J. Henry, wide receiver Joseph Ngata, defensive end Myles Murphy, and of course, linebacker Trenton Simpson are players to watch. Simpson is the most fascinating of those players with his versatility and ability to play all three levels.

: The Steelers lost a 2024 compensatory pick by signing Patrick Peterson after losing Cam Sutton. However, they can easily gain it back with some other losses, but they should still be plenty active in free agency, so the question of whether they will have a compensatory pick still seems to be up in the air. In addition, they are indirect cancellations according to Nick Korte, meaning they are across different rounds.

🏈: Star cornerback Devon Witherspoon out of Illinois will not participate in the pro day for the Fighting Illini today after suffering a hamstring injury in NFL Combine training. That leaves Witherspoon with his own personal workout date on the 6th of April, where teams will get to see the star workout and test on his own. However, until then, they will go without those numbers.