If the Steelers' Blue's Clues come true, Pittsburgh's first-rounder will be one of those names

If you listen to the podcast or follow our annual Pittsburgh Steelers draft coverage, we talk a lot about the Blue's Clues. That is, the long trail of breadcrumbs the Steelers have left us with to determine their draft preferences and, based on that, who they are likely to select each year. Especially early in the draft. There is rare continuity in Pittsburgh, the same head coach since 2007 and even though Omar Khan is only going into his second draft, he has been in the Steelers building since Valentine's Day 2001 and has learned from former GM Kevin Colbert.

If there is one top “Blue's Clue” that is proven year after year, it is the correlation between the head coach/general manager's attendance at the team's Pro Day and the team's first-round pick. Since at least 2010, every team's first-round selection has had the Steelers' head coach (e.g. Tomlin) and/or general manager (Colbert or Khan) present at the pro day. The Steelers would like to look at the prospect from the first person and at the same time get to know him in his environment. Around their teammates, around their coaches, support staff and family, elements that you don't get during pre-draft visits when the player comes to you.

While the Steelers' decision-makers typically attend a number of Pro Days, sometimes with double-digit numbers, Tomlin and Khan only attended four of them in 2024: Georgia, Alabama, Clemson and Michigan. There can be several reasons for the reduction. Scheduling conflicts due to league meetings, the Big 12 Conference Pro Day (it still seems like a bad idea – was any GM or even head coach?), etc. No matter the reason, the four are the four. If there's a year where the team's streak ends, it's this one. But if that's true, who would be the most likely prospects they would draft?

Before we narrow the field, let's throw out a remotely plausible draft pick from these four schools. First rounds where the top 5 selection is not clear and obvious. From there we narrow the field down to more realistic names.

Georgia: TE Brock Bowers, OT Amarius Mims, WR Ladd McConkey
Clemson: CB Nate Wiggins
Alabama: OT JC Latham, CB Terrion Arnold, CB Kool-Aid McKinstry
Michigan: QB JJ McCarthy, CB Mike Sainristil

Another wide net to start with. Realistically, it's likely that Bowers is no longer on the roster, and while Arthur Smith loves his tight ends, taking him if he somehow ends up at No. 20 is a luxury. Michigan is a real challenge on both ends. McCarthy is probably a top ten pick, Sainristil is most likely a second round pick, but there are some some credible mock drafts took him late in the first round.

I could have used EDGE Dallas Turner for Alabama, but he's a top-12 prospect at a position the Steelers don't desperately need. At least at quarterback, there's an argument that Wilson and Fields are short-term dart throwers who may not be here in 2025.

Let's reduce the list to a more realistic group.

Georgia: OT Amarius Mims, WR Ladd McConkey
Clemson: CB Nate Wiggins
Alabama: OT JC Latham, CB Terrion Arnold, CB Kool-Aid McKinstry
Michigan: None

Removing Bowers and the two Wolverines, McCarthy and Sainristil. Some names are more likely than others. McConkey probably won't go that high, while Latham and the Bama corners could be eliminated. But they're in the 10 to 20 range, so I'll leave them at that.

Mims makes sense as a high-upside right tackle with all the tools and size. Wiggins is a high-end cover corner that the team brought in for a visit. Latham is a road grader with experience at right tackle, while Arnold and McKinstry are among the top corners in the draft. From the Tomlin/Khan roster, the six-man roster is realistic and fits the team's needs. If you had to pick a “podium” from the three most likely names, Mims, Wiggins and Latham would be at the top, while Arnold would be an interesting candidate if he fell.

We'll see if the Steelers' first-rounder comes from that pool. If not, we have to wonder if this is an isolated incident, an inevitable end to the series, or the sign of a changing view of how Pittsburgh will select its top prospect.