Should Steelers fans read into Tomlin and Khan’s Pro Day travels?

Mar 31, 2023 - 4:30 PM

The 2023 NFL Draft isn’t far away, under four weeks now until Round 1 of the 3-day process kicks off. The events which take place between the NFL Scouting Combine and the draft are individual school Pro Days.

The players’ performances at these pro days can be a boost for their overall draft stock, but many fan bases, like the Pittsburgh Steelers global fan base, are more concerned with who is in attendance from the organization.

In the past, if Mike Tomlin and Kevin Colbert were in attendance, they were highly interested in any number of prospective players at that school. When talking about the high profile schools, University of Alabama and the University of Georgia as examples, they always draw the attention of teams’ front office brass.

This year many fans were befuddled with the thought of Tomlin not being attendance for certain pro days, especially those of the top cornerbacks in this year’s draft class. Tomlin wasn’t at the University of Oregon (Christian Gonzalez), University of Illinois (Devon Witherspoon), or even Penn State (Joey Porter Jr.). Fans everywhere just assumed the Steelers would be looking at another position for their top pick in the draft.

However, Tomlin made it clear during the league meetings this week fans shouldn’t read too much into his whereabouts during the pro day circuit.

“It’s a myriad of variables. Number of players, my scheduling, geographics,” Tomlin said. “I mean, there’s a myriad of variables that determine where we go, so don’t try to read too much into where I go or where I don’t go, to cut to the chase.”

Tomlin spoke about how he likes to get a good feel for players by watching their film before the pro day, but when asked if he’s ever gone to a pro day for a player he doesn’t necessarily care for, he said it’s a possibility. The possibility would reside in Tomlin trying to throw people off the proverbial scent as to his intentions.

“I may because you guys might be tracking my movements,” Tomlin told reporters at the owners meetings in Phoenix.

With all that said, it is key to note how rare it’s been for the Steelers to draft a player in the first round when Tomlin and the Steelers General Manager (GM) weren’t in attendance.

Should fans read into the whereabouts of Tomlin and company? Let us know what you think in the comment section below, and be sure to stay tuned to BTSC for the latest news and notes surrounding the Steelers as they prepare for the rest of the NFL offseason.