National sack leader Tuli Tuipulotu among 3 players projected as 2nd-day picks to visit Steelers

Chris Adamski
Monday, April 3, 2023 1:21 p.m. | Monday, April 3, 2023 1:21 p.m.

USC edge defender Tuli Tuipulotu runs a drill at the NFL combine in Indianapolis last month. The nation’s sack leader in 2022, Tuipulotu is projected as a second-round pick and was hosted for an official pre-draft visit by the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday.

After failing to lead the NFL in sacks for the first time in six years in 2022, the Pittsburgh Steelers made it official that they are taking a close look at college football’s reigning sack champion.

USC edge rusher Tuli Tuipulotu was among a trio of players projected as consensus second-round picks who were hosted by the Steelers for official pre-draft visits Monday.

Tuipulotu, Wisconsin defensive lineman Keeanu Benton and Kansas State cornerback Julius Brents were at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex on the South Side as the Steelers ramp up their more in-depth visits with prospects in advance of the April 26-28 draft. The NFL allows 30 official on-site visits, in addition to others who are exempt against the limit because they are considered local.

That doesn’t apply to Benton, Tuipulotu or Brents, each representing a position on defense where the Steelers are expected to add talent to among their seven draft picks. According to the compiling website NFL Mock Draft Database, all three have been taken on average late in the second round of myriad published mock drafts. The NFL’s official site has not yet listed projected rounds for prospects.

2022 #Pac12FB Pat Tillman Defensive Player of the Year: Tuli Tuipulotu ✌️

Full release ➡️ https://t.co/PRdgEoej1m #FightOn | @uscfb pic.twitter.com/XDLkCZZ28F

— Pac-12 Conference (@pac12) December 6, 2022

The 6-foot-3, 266-pound Tuipulotu was first-team AP All American and a finalist for the Pac-12 defensive player of the year award after having a nation-leading 13 ½ sacks among 46 tackles and 22 for loss, three pass breakups and two forced fumbles this past season. Tuipulotu, whose cousin is 49ers All-Pro safety Talanoa Hufanga, was also all-Pac 12 in 2021.

The Steelers are looking for depth at edge rusher behind a stout starting duo in T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith, the latter of whom is entering the final year of his contract. In part because Watt spent seven games on injured reserve, the Steelers finished in the middle of the pack with 40 sacks in 2022.

Benton (6-4, 309) was a four-year starter and had 4 ½ sacks as a senior in 2022.

Among the tallest and biggest cornerbacks available in the draft, Brents (6-3, 198) had a team-most four interceptions for the Big 12 champions this past season. He earned first-team all conference recognition.

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Chris Adamski is a TribLive reporter who has covered primarily the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2014 following two seasons on the Penn State football beat. A Western Pennsylvania native, he joined the Trib in 2012 after spending a decade covering Pittsburgh sports for other outlets. He can be reached at cadamski@triblive.com.