It was a rough Thursday night for the Pittsburgh Steelers, dropping a 27-24 game to the Cleveland Browns. The real gut punch? Pro Football Focus clocked them with 14 missed tackles in that loss. Ouch. That kind of defensive meltdown seems to have lit a fire under their scouting department because just a day later, a Steelers scout was spotted checking out a top college linebacker, Tony Rojas, at the Northwestern home opener against Penn State.
From Veteran Tryouts to Future Prospects, the Search is On
After that brutal loss to the Browns, the Steelers wasted no time. Friday saw them hosting a pair of veteran linebackers for tryouts at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. It almost feels like a direct response to those 14 missed tackles, right? But what’s really wild is that later that same Friday, their scouting director, Mark Sadowski, was at a college game, specifically to eye up one of the top linebacker prospects in the 2027 NFL Draft class. Talk about immediate action, both short term and long term.
Tony Rojas: A Top-100 Talent with Room to Grow
The player who captured the Steelers’ attention? Penn State linebacker Tony Rojas. This guy is no joke, clocking in as the No. 82 overall prospect in the 2027 draft class and the fourth-best linebacker available, according to NFL Mock Draft Database. He’s trailing only big names like Clemson’s Sammy Brown and Notre Dame’s Kingston Viliamu-Asa. Through the first four games of the season, Rojas was balling out, leading Penn State with an impressive 22 total tackles, two sacks, and two interceptions. But here is the kicker: in the very game Mark Sadowski was watching against Northwestern, Rojas and the Penn State defense struggled, giving up a whopping 200 rushing yards in just the first half alone. It shows even top prospects have their off days, but the talent is clearly there to make a scout take notice.
Steelers Are Leaving No Stone Unturned in the Scouting Game
It is clear the Steelers are doing their homework, and then some. Their scouting reports show they have been everywhere. Just in Week 4, Mark Sadowski was also at Bucknell at Pitt, and they had scouts at Oklahoma State at West Virginia and Oklahoma at Georgia. They are eyeing up serious talent like Georgia cornerback Ellis Robinson IV (No. 15 overall), Oklahoma defensive lineman David Stone (No. 16), and Oklahoma State quarterback Drew Mestemaker (No. 17). And looking back to Week 3, they had scouts spread across the country, from Syracuse at Pitt to Portland State at Oregon, even North Carolina at Clemson. That week alone, they were looking at mega talents like Oregon quarterback Dante Moore (No. 3 overall) and Notre Dame cornerback Leonard Moore (No. 5). The message is loud and clear: the Steelers are on the hunt for talent across all positions.
The 2027 NFL Draft might feel a long way off, but the Steelers are already on the hunt for answers, especially for a defense that just gave up 14 missed tackles. Tony Rojas definitely put himself on their radar, even with that Northwestern game. Now, it is up to him to keep proving he is the guy to shore up a defense that clearly needs serious help.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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