Mike Tomlin has made it no secret during Senior Bowl practices at Hancock Whitney Stadium that defensive line is among the Steelers' priorities. While he's been focused on the trenches, Arthur Smith has surveyed the offensive side of the ball, and the running back position is proving to be a strong position in this year's draft class.

The crop of running backs here have impressed throughout the first two days of practice, whether it be during 11-on-11 run periods, one-on-one receiving drills against linebackers or, like the Steelers do in training camp, the backs-on-backers drill to work on pass protection. The really encouraging thing is some of the top running backs in the class aren't even at the Senior Bowl, including Boise State's Ashton Jeanty, North Carolina's Omarion Hampton, Arizona State's Cam Skattebo, Tennessee's Dylan Sampson, Iowa's Kaleb Johnson or Ohio State running backs TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins.

That's paved the way for people such as Kansas' Devin Neal to shine and raise his draft stock.

"I think it's a perfect time to prove my versatility," Neal said after Wednesday's practice. "I think there's errors in my game that have been doubted. I think I can come out here and be good in pass (protection), good in route running, good in all aspects of this game. I think I've done a pretty good job so far at that."

He's not wrong. His Wednesday practice was especially impressive, displaying his vision and burst in short areas in wide zone and outside zone concepts, That just so happens to align with the same type of system the Steelers run under Smith.

"I feel great about that. That's all I ran in college," Neal said. "I love outside zone. It's my favorite run."

And he had success doing so with the Jayhawks. Over the past three seasons, Neal racked up 3,635 yards on 600 carries, an average of 6.1 yards per attempt, with 41 rushing touchdowns.

But that's not all he'd be familiar with should the Steelers select him in April's draft. He's also very familiar with Jaylen Warren, who he even faced during the 2021 season when Warren was still at Oklahoma State. In that game, Warren had nine carries for 69 yards and one catch for 19 yards in a 55-3 trouncing over Kansas. Warren's game has been something Neal has watched his before his days in Pittsburgh.

"I loved his toughness. I loved his game," Neal said. "One thing I take away from him is his pass protection. He's elite at it. He's one of the best in the league at it. That's why he stays on the field. That's why he's consistent at what he does. I love his constant work ethic and what he does to stay on the field. I watch his film a lot."

Neal currently projects to be a third-rounder, but this week could have him shoot up draft board with another solid day of practice and good performance in the Senior Bowl game on Saturday. And he's just one of several running backs here that can be option in the latter stages of Day 2 or early portion of Day 3 throughout the draft. Miami's Damien Martinez has impressed quite a bit, though he left Wednesday's practice with a right leg injury. UCF's RJ Harvey has already met with the Steelers here. Virginia Tech's Bhayshul Tuten is another good zone runner that could be a Day 3 pick, and he's had some really good moments during practice, too.

Currently, the Steelers' only running back under contract is Cordarrelle Patterson, who may not even be back with the team. Najee Harris is set to be an unrestricted free agent while Warren is bound for restricted free agency. Running back is one of the bigger needs on the roster.

The last time the Steelers had a pressing need at running back, they opted to go to the top of the position by drafting Harris in the first round. But, that same strategy this time around might be unnecessary. The depth at this position has been displayed in full force. Sure, if Hampton somehow falls to the Steelers' pick in the second round, as long as it's not for medical reasons, then that might be a home run pick. But, they shouldn't feel forced to take a running back early. They clearly have a priority on defensive line. Though it's not a great class, quarterbacks can't be forgotten. Receiver has to be addressed at some point, especially if the Steelers are truly thinking about pulling the trigger on shipping George Pickens out of town.

So, take care of other positions first. There should be good options at running back later in the draft. Some of these guys would be much earlier picks in other drafts. With the depth that's available, it gives them flexibility throughout the three nights of the draft. That's always a good thing, especially when there are several glaring needs like the Steelers have to address.