Pre-draft visits aplenty
Rutgers’ Melton and Iowa’s Lee interviewing in Pittsburgh
Rutgers cornerback Max Melton and Iowa defensive lineman Logan Lee are taking pre-draft visits with the Steelers on Monday.
Melton is projected as Day 2 draft pick and Lee as a Day 3 pick.
The Steelers are turning over their secondary with new starters at several positions. After the release of Patrick Peterson, they traded for Donte Jackson, who is expected to start opposite Joey Porter Jr. at outside corner. They also released starting strong safety Keanu Neal and signed DeShon Elliott to replace him.
The only other open starting job is at slot corner. Melton, who made 40 career starts for the Scarlet Knights, is one of the more versatile defensive backs in this rookie class with an ability to play inside and outside.
Melton ( 5- foot- 11, 187 pounds) had eight career interceptions, including three last season when he also had 32 tackles, a sack, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
Melton has been gaining some momentum in the pre-draft process in recent weeks. Daniel Jeremiah of the NFL Network included him in his most recent list of top 50 prospects at No. 50.
Melton’s athletic profile is intriguing. He was one of the best testers among the cornerbacks at the NFL combine last month. He ran a 4.39 in the 40-yard dash, had a 40½-inch vertical leap and an 11-foot, 4-inch broad jump.
His broad jump was best among the cornerbacks, his vertical was tied for third best and his 40 time was eighth best.
Melton is the fifth cornerback to take a pre-draft visit to the Steelers.
Lee (6-foot-5, 281 pounds) started 40 consecutive games for the Hawkeyes. He also was invited to the combine and performed well. He is one of the quickest defensive linemen coming out of the college ranks. His 7.16 time in the three -cone drill was the best of all defensive linemen at the combine. He also tied Florida State’s Braden Fiske for the best time with 4.37 in the 20-yard shuttle, and his 5.05 time in the 40-yard dash was 11th.
Lee last season had 55 tackles and three sacks. He finished his college career with nine sacks. Here is the list of prospects who have visited the Steelers this year:
April 4: Clemson CB Nate Wiggins, Rice WR Luke McCaffrey, Oregon OL Steve Jones
April 3: LSU DL Maason Smith, USC WR Tahj Washington, Pitt CB CB M.J. Devonshire and Pitt OL Matt Goncalves
April 2: Western Kentucky WR Malachi Corley, Florida State DL Braden Fiske, Penn State CB Daequan Hardy, Kentucky CB Andru Phillips
March 21: Oregon State OL Taliese Fuaga, Georgia State OL Travis Glover, South Carolina WR Xavier Legette
March 19: Florida WR
Ricky Pearsall
March: Georgia OT Amarius Mims, Missouri DE Darius Robinson