Top guard O'Cyrus Torrence among 4 prospects to visit with Steelers in pre-draft process

Continuing their emphasis on evaluating college football’s top prospects in the trenches, the Steelers held pre-draft visits with two offensive lineman and one defensive lineman Wednesday at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex.

Florida guard O’Cyrus Torrence, Oklahoma tackle Anton Harrison and Baylor nose tackle Siaki Ika visited with the Steelers as did Miami (Fla.) cornerback Tyrique Stevenson.

All four players are viewed as first- or second-round prospects.

The Steelers have conducted 14 of their allotted 30 pre-draft visits.

Torrence is rated as the top pure guard prospect in the 2023 draft class and is expected to be picked in the first round.

With @GatorsFB pro-day today, here’s quick reminder you want your team to draft OG O’Cyrus Torrence.

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In 1,501 career pass sets, he allowed 0 sacks and only 1 QBH (per @PFF).????#TheDraftStartsInMOBILE™️ pic.twitter.com/Km8jNfLIMg

— Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_SB) March 30, 2023

The 6-foot-5, 330-pound Torrence spent one season at Florida after he transferred from Louisiana, where he was a teammate of Steelers guard Kevin Dotson in 2019. That season, as a freshman, Torrence started 13 games at left guard.

In 2020, following Dotson’s departure to the NFL, Torrence switched to right guard and started 23 games there over the next two seasons. When Billy Napier left Louisiana to become head coach at Florida, Torrence followed him to Gainesville.

As a senior, Torrence started 11 games at right guard and was named a first-team AP All-American. In four years spanning 47 starts, Torrence was not credited with a sack allowed.

Showing they were intent on beefing up the interior of the offensive line, the Steelers signed guards Isaac Semualo and Nate Herbig in a free agency and, the previous year, added two interior offensive linemen — James Daniels and Mason Cole — as free agents.

The Steelers also have visited with John Michael Schmitz, viewed as the top center in the draft, and N.C. State guard Chandler Zavala, who is considered a third-day selection.

The 6-foot-4, 315-pound Harrison started 12 games in 2021 at left tackle as a sophomore. In his junior season, Harrison made one start at right tackle and 11 at left tackle while being named a first-team all-Big 12 selection.

Pro Football Focus lists Harrison as the No. 4 tackle prospect in this year’s draft class.

Anton Harrison seek n’ destroy pic.twitter.com/EStb4Z3urS

— Ben Fennell (@BenFennell_NFL) April 5, 2023

Ika is rated PFF’s third-best defensive line prospect. He is the second defensive lineman to meet with the Steelers this week, following Wisconsin’s Keeanu Benton, who visited Monday.

Ika measures 6-3, 335 pounds. He spent his final two college seasons at Baylor after transferring from LSU, where he appeared in 13 games at nose tackle as a freshman during the Tiger’s run to the national championship in 2019.

After appearing in four games during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Ika transferred to Baylor and started 23 games over his junior and senior seasons. In 2022, he had 24 tackles, including two for a loss. He had five quarterback hurries, deflected two passes and was named to the all-Big 12 team.

"He's a gentle giant."

Siaki Ika of @BUFootball showing how nimble he is on the hoop drill.

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— NFL (@NFL) March 2, 2023

Stevenson is rated the No. 7 cornerback in this year’s class by PFF. A 6-foot, 198-pound senior, Stevenson ran the 40-yard dash in 4.45 seconds at the NFL Combine. He had the fifth-best time among cornerbacks in the three-cone drill at 7.09 seconds.

Stevenson began his college career at Georgia and broke up five passes as a freshman. After his sophomore season, he transferred to Miami and started 10 games as a junior with one interception and four pass breakups. He had seven more pass breakups, to go along with two interceptions, as a senior in 2022.

Stevenson’s lone interception in 2021 came at the expense of Pitt’s Kenny Pickett. It came in Miami’s 38-34 victory and was one of just seven thrown by Pickett that season.

Stevenson is the fourth cornerback to visit with the Steelers at their practice facility, following Penn State’s Joey Porter Jr., Kansas State’s Julius Brents and Maryland’s Deonte Banks.