In an interesting development, the Steelers are bringing in some competition for Pressley Harvin III at punter.
The Steelers claimed former Jets punter Braden Mann on waivers Friday afternoon, one day after he was released by New York. The Jets had tried to trade him but, after getting no takers, wound up releasing him.
Mann spent the past three seasons as the Jets' punter, averaging 45.4 yards in 206 punts. He had a career-best average of 46.9 yards last season.
This creates a very intriguing situation for the Steelers, after Harvin has had a lot of ups and downs over the past two years.
Harvin has averaged just 43.6 yards on 139 punts for the Steelers, who selected him in the seventh round of the 2021 draft.
Ironically, both Harving and Mann have averaged the exact same total -- 39.5 -- in net yards per punt for their careers.
Mann is 25 years old, while Harvin is 24.
The fact that the Steelers even went out and looked for another punter would indicate a lack of faith in Harvin.
Now, the two are expected to compete during the offseason for the starting job.
FRIDAY VISITS
Two more players visited the Steelers on Friday, bringing the total to 27 players who have made pre-draft visits.
Kansas State edge rusher Felix Anudike-Uzomah is an interesting prospect who could be in play for the Steelers' second-round draft pick, either at 32 or 49. He's rated the No. 44 prospect by NFL Mock Draft Database.
Anudike-Uzomah (6-foot-3, 255-pounds) was rated the No. 6 edge rusher at the NFL Scouting Combine. Here's the scouting report on him from NFL.com:
"A hard-charging edge prospect, Anudike-Uzomah has good strength and a long frame that should continue to fill out. His run defense is unrefined and in need of better fundamentals, but he’s clearly gone to school on his pass-rush approach, adding several new wrinkles to his attack in 2022. His urgency leads to playmaking opportunities, but he will need to harness that energy and play with better control to become a more efficient defender. There is more polish needed, but Anudike-Uzomah’s NFL rush potential should eventually make him an NFL starter."
Tennesse wide receiver Cedric Tillman also visited the Steelers on Friday. He's considered a second-round draft pick.
Tillman (6-3, 213) was rated the 10th-best wide receiver at the combine. He ran a 4.54 40-yard dash and had a 37-inch vertical jump along with a 10-8 broad jump.
Here's a breakdown of all the players who have visited the Steelers so far, a total of 27.
• March: Ole Miss WR Jonathan Mingo, Minnesota OC John Michael-Schmitz, Penn State CB Joey Porter Jr. (local visit), North Dakota State OL Cody Mauch, Purdue WR Charlie Jones.
• April: Wisconsin DL Keeanu Benton, USC DE Tuli Tuipulotu, Kansas State CB Julius Brents, NC State OG Chandler Zavala, Maryland CB Deonte Banks, NC State S Tanner Ingle, Oklahoma OT Anton Harrison, Florida G O'Cyrus Torrence, Baylor DT Siaki Ika, Miami CB Tyrique Stevenson, Oregon CB Christian Gonzalez, South Carolina CB Darius Rush, TCU G Steve Avila, Georgia Tech DT Keion White, Georgia DE Robert Beal Jr., BYU QB Jaren Hall, Michigan State WR Jayden Reed, Cal S Daniel Scott, West Virginia WR Bryce Ford-Wheaton, Bowling Green DE Karl Brooks, Kansas State DE Felix Anudike-Uzomah, Tennessee WR Cedric Tillman.
