Kansas State pass rusher, Tennessee wide receiver meet with Steelers
Edge rusher and wide receiver — positions the Pittsburgh Steelers have not addressed yet in free agency — remain places of emphasis in the pre-draft scouting process.
The Steelers rounded out the week by conducting top-30 visits Friday with Kansas State outside linebacker Felix Anudike-Uzomah and Tennessee wide receiver Cedric Tillman.
Anudike-Uzomah and Tillman are prospects that are expected to be selected on the second day of the NFL Draft, which begins in less than two weeks.
The Steelers officially have used 25 of their allotted 30 pre-draft visits.
Anudike-Uzomah measures 6-foot-3, 255 pounds and would project as an outside linebacker in the Steelers’ 3-4 defense after playing on the defensive line in college. Pro Football Focus rates him at the No. 32 overall prospect, and CBS Sports lists him as the No. 7 edge rusher in this year’s draft class.
Anudike-Uzomah declared for the draft following his junior season after which he was named the Big 12 defensive player of the year. He totaled 8.5 sacks and 11 tackles for loss in 14 starts.
As a sophomore, Anudike-Uzomah was the conference’s co-defensive lineman of the year. He ranked No. 10 in the country with 11 sacks and tied for the FBS lead with six forced fumbles.
Anudike-Uzomah is the third outside linebacker prospect to meet with the Steelers at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex.
Tillman is a 6-3, 213-pound redshirt senior whose final season with the Volunteers was hampered by injuries. He started only six games because of an ankle injury that required surgery. One of his highlights before his injury was catching a 28-yard touchdown pass in overtime to lift Tennessee past Pitt, 34-27.
He is rated the No. 89 overall prospect by Pro Football Focus and No. 111 by CBS Sports.
The fifth wide receiver to visit with the Steelers on the South Side, Tillman made 21 starts and played in 44 games for the Volunteers, catching 109 passes for 1,622 yards and 17 touchdowns. His receiving scores rank No. 10 in school history.
Tillman emerged as a prospect as a junior when he led Tennessee with 64 catches for 1,081 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Joe Rutter is a TribLive reporter who has covered the Pittsburgh Steelers since the 2016 season. A graduate of Greensburg Salem High School and Point Park, he is in his fifth decade covering sports for the Trib. He can be reached at jrutter@triblive.com.
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