Steelers Now
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin spent most of the first two days of Senior Bowl practice hawking the defensive linemen.
It was quite evident at the Senior Bowl that the Steelers are targeting a defensive lineman early in this year’s draft. Steelers president Art Rooney II also hinted at it during an interview with Bob Pompeani of KDKA.
“On the defensive line, we probably need to get younger there,” Rooney said. “We’re fortunate to have (Cam Heyward) but we may need to look to have some young blood there this year.”
The Steelers showed significant interest in a pair of down-the-board defensive line prospects during practice at the 2025 Senior Bowl on Thursday.
The defensive line was the start of the show for the National Team, which practiced first on Thursday. Florida State’s Joshua Farmer and Toledo’s Darius Alexander were the leaders for a unit that brought a ton of energy to the final practice session of the week for that group.
Alexander had 3.5 sacks and eight tackles for loss for the Rockets this season, and showed a well-rounded game, batting down for passes and returning an interception for a touchdown in Toledo’s bowl game win over Pitt.
Against better competition at the Senior Bowl, he’s looked explosive moving forward and has been a stalwart in team run periods.
On the third day, the Steelers swapped evaluators, bringing assistant general manager Andy Weidl in from the Shine Bowl. Weidl talked with Alexander after practice and is set to meet with him on Thursday night, according to Devin Jackson of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Tomlin was watching offensive line and defensive line one-on-one drills during a portion of the practice on Tuesday, while Khan was checking in on some of the National Team defensive tackles.
Senior Bowl Director Jim Nagy highlighted the defensive line during his press conference with the media on Monday.
“I love the group we brought,” Nagy said when highlighting the defensive line.
With Cam Heyward getting older despite an All-Pro-worthy season, the Steelers likely will want to acquire his successor to pair with rising lineman Keeanu Benton.
Mike Tomlin watching OL/DL 1v1s. Florida State DL vs Texas Tech OL Caleb Rogers here. pic.twitter.com/3UmgOQs6h3
— Alan Saunders (@ASaunders_PGH) January 28, 2025
#Steelers GM Omar Khan checking in on some of the National Team defensive tackles. pic.twitter.com/qyO6r67qxM
— Alan Saunders (@ASaunders_PGH) January 28, 2025
Alan Saunders provided reporting from Mobile.
