INDIANAPOLIS -- If Pitt offensive linemen Brian O'Neill and Jaryd Jones-Smith wanted to do any in-depth study on blocking techniques, they didn't have to head off to the film room to throw in video of NFL players. O'Neill and Jones-Smith could just spend some extra time on the practice field.
They could watch one of the best offensive lines in football practice pretty much anytime they wanted without leaving the field at the Rooney Sports Center, where they share a building with the Steelers.
It's made for some easy assessments in recent years for Pitt offensive linemen, with O'Neill and Jones-Smith continuing a recent trend of former Pitt offensive linemen being invited to the NFL Scouting Combine. The Panthers also had two linemen here last year in Adam Bisnowaty and Dorian Johnson.
"When we practiced, we'd finish and we were coming off the field as they were coming on," O'Neill said of the Steelers. "They were doing their warm-ups and going through their drills. It's good to watch them up close in practice."
And there were obviously some good players to watch. Last season, the Steelers had three offensive linemen, guard David DeCastro, center Maurkice Pouncey and left tackle Alejandro Villanueva, selected to the Pro Bowl.
What better way to learn than watch the best?
"I don't think there was a day we didn't stop and watch them practice or pick their brains before or after practice, talk to the coaches, just trying to get tips and advice to help make us better players," Smith-Jones told DKPittsburghSports.com. "It was definitely a great experience."
Who they watched, however, differed. Though Smith-Jones was a natural tackle -- he measured just over 6-6, 317 pounds here Thursday -- he didn't necessarily key in on watching Villanueva or Marcus Gilbert.
His eyes were glued to the men in the middle of the line.
"You definitely key on DeCastro," Jones-Smith told me. "He's a player who is considered the best in the league. You key on Pouncey. They're all big names. It's one of the best offensive lines in the NFL. You just watch. You sit back and watch and you learn and take mental notes. You come out the next day and try to do the same things they were doing."
O'Neill, on the other hand, had a different mentor. Former Pitt offensive line coach John Peterson had coached Steelers offensive tackle Chris Hubbard in college at Alabama-Birmingham. That relationship led O'Neill, an early entry in this year's draft, to center on Hubbard and a player who made a similar transition to the one he made in college, Villanueva.
Villanueva played some offensive line at Army, but he also lined up as a wide receiver -- leading the Black Knights in receptions his senior season -- and tight end. It's not a transition you often see from a guy who is 6-9 and now weighs in at 330 pounds.
But O'Neill, who measured in at just a shade under 6-7 Thursday while weighing 297 pounds, can relate. He played some wide receiver in high school and went to Pitt as a tight end before being shifted to offensive tackle. All told, he gained about 60 pounds while with the Panthers.
"(I watched) how seriously he takes practice. He's very professional in his work and he's right there,"" O'Neill told me of Villanueva, making note they were about three feet from each other.
"It's like I'm watching you in the drills and we're this far away from each other. "
Now, the question is whether they could become teammates with the Steelers players they got to know over their years in Pittsburgh.
While that starting five O'Neill and Smith-Jones watched so closely during their time at Pitt is all under contract for 2018, Hubbard is likely to leave the Steelers as a free agent after serving as the team's swing lineman the past couple of years. He started 10 games for the Steelers in 2017 with Gilbert suffering through a hamstring injury and four-game PED suspension. And the Steelers likely can't afford to match the offers the 26-year-old will get on the open market.
That leaves the Steelers with 2015 third-round draft pick Jerald Hawkins as the only true backup tackle on the roster with any pedigree. But if the Steelers are interested in O'Neill, they might have to select him early.
Though he had a performance at the Senior Bowl he called "up and down," he's considered one of the top 10 tackles available in this draft, largely because of his athleticism, and likely won't last past the third round.
O'Neill is a confident young man.
Jones-Smith, meanwhile, is viewed as a late-round pick, though his size could certainly intrigue a team. It's probably what got a player who started just 13 games at Pitt, most of which came at right tackle this season, invited to the combine.
"If a team needs me to play right or left (tackle), I'll play right or left. If they need me to bump down to guard, I'll do what it takes to get on the field and help my team win," Smith-Jones said.