Thursday’s “First Call” tells us which quarterback prospect lured the Pittsburgh Steelers’ best players to his pro day. We found out which team may have initiated the bidding for the Steelers’ snail, Chax Okorafor. One report states that the Steelers are monitoring the security market in free agency.
And we will find out when Marc-Andre Fleury should start his first start in the new team.
The Path of Priorities
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin was at the University of Mississippi pro day on Wednesday. He was joined by general manager Kevin Colbert, professional scouting coordinator Brandon Hunt, offensive coordinator Matt Canada and player personnel coordinator Dan Rooney Jr.
That’s because Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral worked with professional scouts. He is one of several quarterback candidates who can go into the first round of the draft. Corral was injured in the Sugar Bowl against Baylor that year, injuring his ankle. This limited his off-season participation in the NFL Combine. The 6-foot-1, 212-pound junior also did not compete in the Senior Bowl. As a result, his training received a lot of attention.
Matt Corral (6ft 1 1/2in, 215lbs) will be throwing a pro day in an hour.
The Panthers (Scott Fitterer, Matt Rule), Falcons (Terry Fonteno, Arthur Smith) Steelers (Mike Tomlin, Kevin Colbert) are among the teams in need of a QB deep in here. Titans OC Todd Downing, Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy are also here. https://t.co/kJW63bmmR7
— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) March 23, 2022
Attending training at Oxford meant that the Steelers’ senior management was not present in Columbus for the Ohio State pro day. This is usually a target-rich environment for decision makers.
It was reported that 100 NFL representatives were there to see the participation of 11 potential clients. Two of them were receivers Garrett Wilson and Chris Olav. They may be of interest to any Steelers scouts.
Colbert and Tomlin have been top players at this event in years past.
Bear market?
Many wondered if the Steelers were trading for Chucks Okorafor against themselves.
The organization decided to keep its starting right tool for three years and $29.25 million. This price seemed surprisingly high as there were not many names associated with Okorafor during the bidding process.
Now there is one. According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com, the Chicago Bears wanted Okorafor. But not at that price point.
“Overall, Chicago has been prudent in their approach to first free agent Ryan Powles as the Bears’ general manager,” Fowler said Wednesday. “The team identified several players as suitable but not worth the competition. One example was a right tackle by Chukwum Okorafor. He could have been a Bear, but not in three years and the $29.25 million that Pittsburgh was willing to pay to re-sign him.”
Okorafor’s cap total of $4.33 million is the largest of any offensive lineman on the team.
to be poisoned
Fowler also noted that the Steelers are looking for safety.
Many associate the franchise with former professional bowler Tyranne “Honey Badger” Mathieu. But Fowler downplayed that view. Instead, he pointed to the potential return of Terrell Edmunds, who became a free agent this season after four years with the team.
Another name to keep in mind is Damontae Kazi from Dallas. “He is known as a hawk who can play in multiple places. The Steelers have him in their sights,” Fowler said.
It would be nice to have another potential starting quarterback along with Minka Fitzpatrick so the Steelers can look to other areas that are needed in the draft, such as wide receiver, tackle, defensive line, inside linebacker and cornerback.
That is if they decide to wait a year as a quarterback and see how newly signed Mitch Trubisky performs in this position.
Flower’s first game
The Minnesota Wild play Thursday night against the Vancouver Canucks. But former Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury shouldn’t start.
Recently acquired by the Wild from the Chicago Blackhawks, Fleury is not expected to make his debut with his new team until Saturday’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
This was reported by coach Dean Evason via Sarah McLellan to the Star-Tribune.
#wild coach Dean Evason said Fleury had flown home and the team told him to settle in and return for Thursday’s game against Vancouver. Talbot will start against #Canucksand Evason said Fleury would likely play on Saturday.
— Sarah McLellan (@sarah__mclellan) March 23, 2022
Cam Talbot should start the game against the Canucks. He just played 3-0 against the Vegas Golden Knights on Monday.
Tim Benz is a staff columnist for the Tribune-Review. You can contact Tim at [email protected] or via Twitter. All tweets could be reposted. All emails are subject to publication unless otherwise noted.