(Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
Mike Tomlin has already met with Virginia Tech cornerback Caleb Farley and according to Nick Farabaugh of Steelers Now, Christian Darrisaw has a Zoom meeting scheduled with the Steelers for tomorrow.
Darrisaw is one of the top offensive tackles in this year's draft and should be a first-round pick. The Steelers could be in the market for drafting an offensive tackle in the first round with Alejandro Villanueva still unsigned as a free agent. Villaneuva's play decline last year and will turn 33 in September, so the Steelers might want to move on from him. They have Chuks Okorafor and Zach Banner on the roster as well, so bringing in a top-tier offensive tackle early in the draft makes sense.
Senior defensive assistant/secondary coach Teryl Austin and scout Mark Gorscak are at the Virginia Tech pro day today.
Darrisaw has great size and length, standing at 6-foot-5, 314 pounds. Darrisaw started as a true freshman at Virginia Tech and it shouldn't take him long to develop into a starting left tackle in the NFL.
Farabaugh also reports that Virginia Tech safety Divine Deablo has also met with Tomlin and Kevin Colbert via Zoom. Deablo said teams are viewing him as a linebacker.
Deablo has nice size at 6-foot-3, 217 pounds, so he could definitely fit into a linebacker role when the Steelers go to their sub-packages. Deablo is projected to be a Day 3 pick in the draft.
"Virginia Tech offensive tackle Christian Darrisaw earned the opportunity to start for the Hokies as a true freshman and did nothing but improve for three seasons, developing into a dominant blocker in 2020. From a size, length, and mobility standpoint, Darrisaw firmly checks the boxes and should immediately become an asset to an NFL franchise in pass protection, outside zone runs, and utilizing his exceptional ability to pull and connect with moving targets in space. Like most young offensive linemen, Darrisaw has room to add functional strength to improve his overall power at the point of attack, but it’s far from a deficiency that is of major concern. The amount of technical growth Darrisaw has demonstrated throughout the course of his career is exciting when considering his starting point for the next level and how he peaked at the perfect time. It shouldn’t take long for Darrisaw to earn a starting role in the NFL and he has the upside to become a standout, franchise left tackle."
"Divine Deablo came to Virginia Tech to play wide receiver but transitioned to safety after his freshman season where he went on to start for three seasons. While he enters the NFL with plenty of experience, he’s still a work in progress when it comes to processing and responding to play concepts. In addition, he’s a limited athlete that lacks fluidity, which presents restrictions with the roles he can fill in the defensive back seven. He does have some occasional flashes of physicality, but he does not consistently play up to his weight class and serve as an imposing presence in the secondary. At the next level, it will be critical for Deablo to excel on special teams to give him an opportunity to develop his skill set and become more consistent across the board. As it stands, he’s an oversized safety that lacks versatility and has athletic limitations."
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