Steelers meetings transition to the OLine and RBs

The Pittsburgh Steelers continue the meeting process at the NFL Scouting Combine.

The 2023 NFL Scouting Combine is well underway, and the meetings between prospects and NFL teams have begun. Many compare Combine meetings between organizations and prospects like speed dating. Not a lot of time to get to know players, and you are trying to meet with as many prospects as possible.

It is at this time when players make their meetings with teams official during their time in front of the media. In this case, players who have met with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

It should be known there are a myriad of meetings which go unreported, and also less significance in these quick, rapid-fire meetings during the chaos that has become the NFL Combine.

With all that said, Saturday was when offensive linemen and running backs took the stage for media availability, and plenty of players said they had meetings with the Steelers during their time at the podium. Below you’ll see a list of players who were open about their meetings, where they went to school, some bullet points on the prospects, and more.

(Note: All “breakdowns” below are courtesy of The Draft Network)

Let’s get into it!

Deuce Vaughn, Kansas State RB

Top Reasons to Buy In:

• College production
• Versatility as a running back
• Mismatch as a receiving back

Top Reasons For Concern:

• Size concern
• Pass protection issues

Travis Dye, USC RB

Top Reasons to Buy In:

• Super-productive player with good running instincts
• Effective pass-catching skill set to complement rushing role
• Light on feet with high step frequency to adjust rushing track

Top Reasons For Concern:

• 24-year-old rookie with 770 career touches
• Coming off of a season-ending injury suffered in November 2022
• Lacks explosiveness or functional strength to move needle as a volume runner

Cam Peoples, Appalachian State RB

Top Reasons to Buy In:

• Effective power to run through lazy tackles and poor angles
• Long strides showcase ability to eat up space and create chunk gains in the second level
• Size and power to be effective in protection

Top Reasons For Concern:

• Appears to be limited when he’s forced off the tracks early in runs
• Lacks lateral agility to gash defenses against the grain
• Limited production on passing downs
• Pad level will never be an asset in his style of play

Broderick Jones, Georgia OT

Top Reasons to Buy In:

• Incredible athleticism at the position
• “Finisher” mentality
• Potential/upside

Top Reasons For Concern:

• Limited experience (19 starts)
• Inconsistent technique/mechanics
• Overaggressiveness

Jaxson Kirkland, Washington OL

Pros: Jaxson Kirkland is a smart and experienced blocker that will enter the NFL with multiple years of starting experience at right guard and left tackle. He executes with good timing in the run game and excellent awareness in pass protection. Kirkland is effective with executing scoops and combo blocks and has excellent range in the run game. He offers sufficient length and good foot quickness to mirror pass rushers. Despite having some challenges with leverage, Kirkland is generally a smooth and controlled operator that plays within himself. He demonstrates a willingness to sit on his hips and remain balanced. While he isn’t a road grader, Kirkland shows a likable temperament and tenacity in how he plays the game. He is very deliberate about keeping his hands busy and competing to keep them fit. He generally does well to take advantage of angles and body positioning.

Cons: Jaxson Kirkland is thin in his lower half and he struggles to maintain a consistent base. In pass protection, his base often lacks proper width and his heels can get clicky, leading to disadvantageous positions to anchor and absorb power. When he concedes pressure, I felt it had a lot to do with an inconsistent base and a lack of comfort operating his hands independently—his strikes are predictable and he often shoots them both simultaneously. Kirkland is a tall offensive lineman, which leads to some challenges with playing with good pad level and he’s frequently out-leveraged at the point of attack. Kirkland will be a 25-year-old rookie.

Paris Johnson Jr., Ohio State OT

Top Reasons to Buy In:

• Size and athleticism
• Coordination, recoverability, and controlled aggression
• High ceiling with an excellent baseline

Top Reasons For Concern:

• Need for improved functional strength
• Developing hand technique
• Only one season at left tackle

Wanya Morris, Oklahoma OL

Top Reasons to Buy In:

• Physical upside
• Versatility
• Functional strength

Top Reasons For Concern:

• Erratic performance and technique
• Control and patience
• College underachiever

Jarrett Patterson, Notre Dame OL

Top Reasons to Buy In:

• Intelligence
• Technique
• Block sustain
• Versatility

Top Reasons For Concern:

• Lateral mobility
• Second-level and space play

O’Cyrus Torrence, Florida OL

Top Reasons to Buy In:

• Run game dominance
• Physicality at the point of attack
• Anchor in pass protection

Top Reasons For Concern:

• Scheme specific
• Questionable lateral agility
• Limited range as a blocker in pass protection

Peter Skoronski, Northwestern OT

Top Reasons to Buy In:

• High level of football IQ in all phases
• Proficient hand usage and technique to sustain blocks
• Position-versatile player who will clear tackle thresholds for some
• Effective mover in all concepts in the run game

Top Reasons For Concern:

• Functional athleticism to mirror on the edge is sufficient
• Arm length and wingspan are untraditionally short
• Potential transition to inside after three seasons of playing left tackle at Northwestern

Carter Warren, Pitt OL

Top Reasons to Buy In:

• Pass blocking
• Length and size
• Hand technique

Top Reasons For Concern:

• Age
• Need for better lower-body and core strength
• Injury recovery

Dalton Wagner, Arkansas OL

STRENGTHS

• An agile mover who puts his length to good use, using his hands aggressively and landing solid initial punches. Wagner can move to the second level as a run blocker, with the coordination and balance to hit moving targets.
• Uses his hands well, with good hand placement to maximize his powerful punch. He shows impressive coordination between his upper and lower body when moving in pass protection.
• Consistently lands blocks at the second level, and Wagner finishes strong. As a pass protector, he has violent, heavy hands. Along with a strong initial punch, he has the hand strength to grip and redirect pass rushers.
• Big athlete with good bulk and a filled-out frame. Stays balanced and doesn’t overextend in pass protection. Stays disciplined with good bend and leverage.
• Tall with long arms, he has exceptional length and is a violent, aggressive, and precise puncher who can redirect pass rushers.
• In the run game, he shows good burst off the line of scrimmage, with the ability to win at the point of attack. Wagner has enough speed

WEAKNESSES

• Struggles to be consistent blocking in motion and doesn’t have the natural foot quickness to cover a lot of ground.
• He’s shaky as a pass protector, which is troublesome for the next level. Wagner often plays too high with an inconsistent kick slide.
• Flashes the ability to move his man with his hands, but is not yet consistent in this area.

Ricky Stromberg, Arkansas OL

Pros: Ricky Stromberg is a well-tenured starter at the SEC level. He’s seen the best of the best and as a result, you have a pretty vivid picture of his strengths. He’s capable of pretty high-level reps in both the vertical run game and working as a quick-reach player to set the point of attack and establish a firm lane to cut back into. He leverages his hands well at the point to combat and manipulate the pads of defenders and carve out a gap in the point of attack. When tested with power, Stromberg holds up fairly well. He’s got a bigger frame for a center and has showcased the needed anchor against power rushers to win one on one. You shouldn’t consider him a persistent help player in the front; he can handle isolated matchups. Positional versatility is something that will go as a big plus—having the utility to move him around and reshuffle your line based on injuries is something that always adds value as teams look to negotiate the right balance on their 53-man roster.

Cons: In two games against Georgia and Alabama alone, Ricky Stromberg went against a top-15 pick in Jordan Davis, a top-30 pick in Devonte Wyatt, a top-50 pick in Phidarian Mathis, and a future first-round choice in Jalen Carter. I didn’t think he won any of those matchups with regularity. The bigger-bodied defenders tested his sustained finish ability and provided wins on the interior. The quicker penetration types tested him with initial burst and his ability to quickly get out of the blocks. I thought length was, in all those matchups, a barrier that prevented consistent fits on blocks. Maybe that’s an unfair baseline to hold him to—and I’m not ready to put and say he can’t play at a higher level—but Stromberg gave me some Tyler Biadasz in 2019 vibes (Biadasz appeared to take a step back with his functional athleticism after offseason hip surgery). Stromberg’s feet are too often dead after contact and that cuts down on his sustained blocks. There’s also the aforementioned length dynamic, which negates his gravitational pull as a blocker, too.

Juice Scruggs, Penn State OL

STRENGTHS

• Scruggs gets off the snap quickly, and Scruggs is consistently able to generate movement at the point of attack, typically finishing those blocks strong.
• Fires out of his stance with a good pad level, consistently winning at the point of attack.
• His ceiling isn’t high, but he has a good chance to carve out a long career as a quality starter on the left or right side, with the versatility to fit both in man and zone schemes.
• He’ll struggle to get a push at the points of attack against NFL defensive linemen.
• Uses his hands well, with good hand placement to maximize his powerful punch. Scruggs shows impressive coordination between his upper and lower body when moving in pass protection.
• Quick setting up after the snap and slides well to the outside, staying patient and balanced off the snap.

WEAKNESSES

• Attacks when necessary, though Scruggs won’t consistently dominate and can lose balance overextending.
• Solid all-around prospect, but he’s not elite in any one area.
• Stops his feet after initial contact, relying on length but allowing defender to get the corner or spin inside.

Keep tabs on BTSC as we add to the list of players who have met with the Steelers during the Combine, as well as all the news and notes surrounding the black and gold as they press on throughout the NFL offseason.