Senior Bowl Day 2 takeaways: Tomlin's prints all over showdown between Wilson, Mitchell

MOBILE, Ala. -- As Mike Tomlin has said before, two is a pattern.

If that philosophy applies to Quinyon Mitchell's first two days at the Senior Bowl down here in Mobile, then Tomlin surely has taken note of the Toledo cornerback as a possibility for the Steelers' 20th overall pick in this April's draft.

These two days at Hancock Whitney Stadium have quickly become the Quinyon Mitchell Show, with the 6-foot cornerback consistently winning reps no matter who was lined up against him. 

Whether it was North Carolina's Devontez Walker or Southern California's Brenden Rice -- the son of the Jerry Rice, Mitchell was winning. 

And winning.

And winning some more.

"I want to be around the football," Mitchell said after Wednesday's National team practice. "I want to catch it, knock it down, grab it. Just being around the football and making plays. ... Just competing. No matter who lines up in front of me, giving them a tough challenge and just competing."

No highlight was more impressive than the one made by Mitchell on this sunny, mild day in Mobile. Watch Mitchell run step for step with Rice on this "go" route and lock in the interception in the end zone:

"He inside released, speed released, so he had a step on me," Mitchell said of the interception. "Caught back up to him. Once I got up, just looked for the ball and made a play."

But for every giant within an event comes an equally large adversary. This is where Michigan receiver Roman Wilson came into play.

Wilson is a sharp route runner and gives off vibes of the Texans' Tank Dell with his strong hands and ability to make contested catches. Among the wide receivers here in Mobile, Wilson has arguably been the most impressive.

Which is why Tomlin intervened between the eye-popping cornerback and the highlight-reel receiver Wednesday.

Tomlin's fingerprints have been all over this Senior Bowl in a general sense, but he brought some influence into Mitchell and Wilson's days specifically Wednesday. He pulled Wilson and Mitchell aside during a one-on-one drill between receivers and cornerbacks and told them to match up all day.

"I was coming to the Steelers and (Mitchell) was leaving and Mike Tomlin pulled both of us aside and was like, 'make sure you go against each other,'" Wilson said. "Mitchell definitely took that a little too serious. We pretty much did every single one-on-one rep together. He's a very, very good player. Very competitive. He wants to win, I want to win. We were going at it. As soon as i saw him step up at the other practice (Tuesday) I knew he was going to call me out, so it's good. I think (Mitchell's) a great guy. I think he's a tempo setter. Great guy.

"... It was cool. A guy like (Tomlin) gives you advice and he's not just saying that because he wants to come out here and watch. He's saying that because as of right now that's a DB that's been doing good, I'm a receiver that's been doing really good. We're just going to make each other better."

So, they did. 

Wilson got the best of Mitchell on a short curl route, but Mitchell was right there to touch Wilson after the reception to end the play. Mitchell then drew an offensive pass interference on a deep ball intended for Wilson:

Wilson then would get the best of Mitchell on a one-handed grab on a ball thrown wide to him. Mitchell slipped while getting out of his break, allowing for Wilson to get some separation.

While Wilson was able to make a spectacular play, though, it was merited because it was made with Mitchell in coverage. Within this Senior Bowl week, getting by Mitchell has become a rite of passage.

"Just coming in and trying to compete and dominate," Mitchell said. "Coming in with a chip on my shoulder, feeling like I'm disrespected."

Mitchell has risen up boards as a first-round cornerback, and he is very much in play for the Steelers at pick No. 20 come April. He is currently ranked 19th in NFL.com's Top 50 prospect rankings and would immediately fill a position of need for Tomlin. Mitchell notched 46 pass breakups, 52 passes defended, and six interceptions in 46 games at Toledo. He's also coming from a winning program, as the Rockets have won 20 games over the past two seasons.

Wilson (6-feet, 192 pounds) emerged this season at Michigan by catching 48 passes for 789 yards and 12 touchdowns. He runs a sub-4.40 40-yard dash and has the size to fit as a slot receiver picked in Day 2 of the draft.

These highlights of Wilson and Mitchell are a direct result of Tomlin's doing. He has been the most engaged coach within these two practice days, and that margin between the next non-Senior Bowl coach and he is not close. This matchup Wilson and Mitchell had a feel from this past training camp when he would purposefully match George Pickens up with the rookie Joey Porter Jr., which helped mold Porter's standout season as a rookie.

His involvement with Wilson and Mitchell is no coincidence. If there was more evidence needed that they are on the Steelers' radar, Wilson confirmed he has met with the Steelers twice since arriving to Mobile, and Mitchell confirmed a sit-down with them this week. Tomlin is here with Omar Khan, Andy Weidl, and Teryl Austin, among others, and all were on the field at points between Tuesday and Wednesday.

"I've met (Tomlin) a couple of times when I was younger, but sometimes it doesn't even feel like he's a coach," Wilson said. "I feel like he's just a dude out there. A guy I can go up and talk to and have a conversation with. It was very casual."

Mitchell said his meeting with the Steelers was about "chopping it up."

"Talking about ball, talking about corners and stuff like that," Mitchell said. "Whatever they ask me to do, I can do it."

MORE FROM MOBILE

• Tomlin wasn't as laser-focused on one position Wednesday after spending the majority of his time watching the offensive linemen Tuesday. I will have more on specific players Tomlin was in contact with and watching closely coming up Friday.

• Two defensive linemen standouts for me have been Duke's Dewayne Carter and Baylor's Gabe Hall. Carter was one of my players to watch in this event as an undersized defensive tackle, but his motor shown in tape at Duke has also shown this week.

Hall is an imposing, true defensive end at 6-foot-6 and 290 pounds. He generated 21 pressures and 19 QB hurries in 2023 but that production isn't indicative of the build he has. Tomlin noticed him while making his rounds with the defensive linemen, and Hall shared with me his interaction with Tomlin during Wednesday's practice:

"He was giving us pointers, tips," Hall said. "People like him's been around the game for a long time. He's just going to give his input. If a guy like that's speaking, you've got to listen. There's a rare opportunity that a lot of people don't get, so it's really exciting when people like that come up and talk to you."

Hall told me he has met with the Steelers in Mobile.

"It was cool. I liked everybody there," Hall said. "They were just nice people, cool, they kept it real with me, and that's all I can ask from a person."

• Thursday will flow similarly to Tuesday here in Mobile. Practice for the National team runs from 10:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m., and the American practice is from 1:00 until 3:00 p.m. at Hancock Whitney Stadium. There will be a 10-minute window for interviews for reporters on the field following the conclusion of each session. I will be here until Friday.

• More notes from Tuesday and Wednesday's practices in Mobile can be found in our Steelers Feed.