First round-caliber CB Christian Gonzalez among 4 hosted by Steelers in pre-draft visits

Prospects at positions of need continue to parade through UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, with highly regarded cornerback Christian Gonzalez headlining four prospects hosted by the Pittsburgh Steelers for official pre-draft visits Thursday.

TCU guard Steve Avila, South Carolina cornerback Darius Rush and Georgia Tech defensive lineman Keion White also were at the Steelers’ facility Thursday, exactly three weeks before the NFL Draft is scheduled to begin.

A 6-foot-1, 197-pound physical cornerback who ran the 40-yard dash in 4.38 seconds at the combine, Gonzalez is considered as a talent perhaps worthy of a top-10 pick. The Steelers, who are expected to target cornerback, have selections at No. 17 and No. 32 overall.

Rush is considered a second-day pick, meaning he might more likely be targeted by the Steelers with their No. 49 or 80 overall selections. Rush ran a faster 40 time at the combine (4.36) than Gonzalez, and he is bigger (6-2, 198) but as a converted wide receiver (three years ago) is considered more raw.

Avila (6-3 1/2, 332) was a second-team AP All-American and first-team Big 12 honoree in starting every game for the College Football Playoff runner-up Horned Frogs last season. A consensus second-round pick, Avila has an interesting player comparison on the NFL’s official draft profile of him: former Steelers guard Chris Kemoeatu.

Another player widely projected to go in the second round, White (6-5, 285) began his college career as a tight end at Old Dominion but finished it as a third-team all-ACC performer who had 14 tackles for loss and 7 1/2 sacks for Georgia Tech in 2022.

The Steelers have used 18 of the 30 allotted official visits allowed per NFL rules. That number does not include “local” prospects, which most prominently this spring has included Penn State cornerback Joey Porter Jr.

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