Cody Mauch, an intimidating presence on the offensive line at North Dakota State because of his two missing front teeth, was one of two players brought in for top-30 visits Friday by the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Steelers also brought in Purdue wide receiver Charlie Jones.
Mauch and Jones are among the oldest players in their draft class. They are 24 years old and spent six years in college.
Mauch is viewed as a potential second-round draft pick at 6-foot-5, 302 pounds. He was a first-team All-American in 2022 when he started 15 games at left tackle for the Bison. He was a second-team pick in 2021 when he also started 15 games at left tackle as North Dakota State won the Division I FCS national championship.
Cody Mauch is looking very solid today pic.twitter.com/ncPgpgHhzG
— Billy M (@BillyM_91) February 1, 2023
After addressing the interior of the offensive line in free agency, the Steelers could be in the market for a left tackle early in the draft.
Mauch had his two front teeth knocked out during a junior high basketball game. Adding to his allure is the long, flowing red hair that hangs below his shoulders.
“I say I’m going to get them fixed after football, but I don’t know if I ever will,” Mauch told reporters at the NFL Combine. “I don’t really mind it at all. It’s part of me, I guess.”
While Mauch spent his entire college career at North Dakota State, Jones spent just the 2022 season at Purdue, which was his third college stop.
If you’ve been wondering…
— StaceyDales (@StaceyDales) March 4, 2023
Here’s the backstory to (versatile O-Lineman) Cody Mauch’s amazing toothless smile… it’s been a conversation point in his meetings with every NFL team. Love this guy!???? pic.twitter.com/VCPlSnAekq
The 5-11, 175-pound Jones started his college journey at Buffalo, where he spent one season after redshirting as a freshman. Jones then transferred to Iowa and sat out the 2019 season. He played two seasons for the Hawkeyes and was voted the Big Ten’s return specialist of the year in 2021 when he averaged 25.4 yards on kickoff returns, including one touchdown.
Jones took advantage of his extra year of eligibility provided by the coronavirus pandemic and transferred to Purdue. In his lone year with the Boilermakers, he amassed 110 catches for 1,361 yards and 12 touchdowns. This dwarfed his wide receiver production in his final season at Iowa: 21 catches, 323 yards, three touchdowns.
Invited to the NFL Combine, Jones ran the 40-yard dash in 4.43 seconds, his time ranking No. 11 among wide receivers.
The home crowd in Indiana was loving @BoilerFootball WR Charlie Jones' 4.44u. ????
— NFL (@NFL) March 4, 2023
????: #NFLCombine on @nflnetwork
????: Stream on NFL+ pic.twitter.com/9Y8Da0OC4n
Jones is viewed as a mid-round draft pick and could fit into the Steelers’ plans in the slot. Steven Sims, the most-used slot player in the second half of last season, signed with the Houston Texans in free agency after the Steelers did not tender him a contract as a restricted free agent.
