Steelers Draft Quinyon Mitchell in Matt Miller’s Mock Draft

Most mock drafts have the Pittsburgh Steelers selecting either a offensive tackle or center in the first round. That seems to be the general consensus. Cornerback is also a big need, but it hasn’t been talked about as much in the first round, with the Steelers acquiring Donte Jackson from the Carolina Panthers in the Diontae Johnson trade last month. But Tony Pauline says that the Steelers love Quinyon Mitchell and that they are hoping to move up for him. But the Philadelphia Eagles are doing the same.

“I’m told the Steelers and Broncos are talking trade as Pittsburgh is another team that is targeting Mitchell and would move up in the draft for him,” Pauline wrote.

The Steelers were represented at the Toledo Rockets pro day last month, even though Mitchell wasn’t running. And while the trade-up scenario seems more out there, Matt Miller had Mitchell falling right to 20th overall and Pittsburgh taking him.

“Pittsburgh has been suggested as a potential trade-back candidate, but I think the team instead drafts either a corner or right tackle at No. 20. Cornerback is too tempting to pass up with Mitchell falling here in this scenario. He has 4.33 speed and excellent ball skills, breaking up 32 passes and picking off six over the past two seasons. He’s a potential shutdown cornerback in the NFL, and the talent in this position group falls off sharply after the first round. The Steelers would have to capitalize on this opportunity,” he wrote.

The Steelers sent director of college scouting Dan Colbert to Toledo to gather info at the school’s pro day, but the Steelers have been after Mitchell a long time.

They twice sent scouts to be at his games in-person in 2023, then Mike Tomlin did some serous in-person scouting of Mitchell at the 2024 Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama, when Tomlin challenged him to face Michigan wide receiver Roman Wilson in 1-on-1 competition.

Wilson got the best of that matchup, but Mitchell was one of the best players overall at the Senior Bowl and continued his strong offseason with a fantastic showing at the 2024 NFL Combine.

In Indianapolis, Mitchell ran a 4.33-second 40-yard dash, the second-fastest time of any cornerback in the class. He also posted a 38-inch vertical. His overall Relative Athletic Score is a 9.78 out of 10.

Thanks to that strong performance, he chose to sit out Toledo’s pro day, which brings up an interesting question. The Steelers have traditionally only selected players that were scouted in-person by their head coach or general manager at a pro day in the first round.

But with fewer and fewer top picks participating at their pro days, there’s little reason for Mike Tomlin and Omar Khan to be in attendance — especially at a place like Toledo, where Mitchell is the only player in the NFL Mock Draft Database top 300.

The Steelers also did not do formal interviews at the 2024 NFL Combine with players like Mitchell that they had met with extensively at the Senior Bowl, so Khan and Tomlin had just one good chance to get to to know him.