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With only a handful of school left to host their pro day events this week, it had been expected that the Pittsburgh Steelers might have a significant presence at the University of Washington Pro Day to see notable prospects like Byron Murphy. But while there was no sign of names like Mike Tomlin and Kevin Colbert on campus on Monday, it would appear that the Steelers had at least a couple of representatives on hand to watch the workouts.
Rob Rang of NFL Draft Scout reported a full house in Washington, with Murphy likely the star attraction of the day, but it was safety Taylor Rapp that the Steelers were noted to be meeting with at the event. As per report a from Tony Pauline of Draft Analyst.
“Over the course of the past two days Rapp met one on one with the Arizona Cardinals, Tampa Bay Bucs, New Orleans Saints, Oakland Raiders, New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers.”
And another from Omar Ruiz of the NFL Network.
UW safety Taylor Rapp running his 40 here. Didn’t run at the combine while recovering from an in-season hip injury. He has upcoming visits w/the #Lions & #Cowboys, has met w/ the #Cardinals #Saints #Buccaneers #Raiders, & has meetings scheduled today w/ #Patriots & #Steelers pic.twitter.com/ss5yYgeH30
— Omar Ruiz (@OmarDRuiz) April 1, 2019
Just a little bit of interest in Taylor Rapp’s 40-yard dash. #UWProDay pic.twitter.com/cOSlS4b5BB
— Rob Rang (@RobRang) April 1, 2019
High ranking NFL scout among those recording 40-yard dash times today had Taylor Rapp at 4.77, Myles Gaskin at 4.56.
— Rob Rang (@RobRang) April 1, 2019
By all accounts, Rapp disappointed those in attendance when he recorded a 4.77 40-time. This coming from Rang.
“Unfortunately for Rapp, a three-time all-Pac-12 pick, the answer he provided was more of a thud than an exclamation point, clocking a pair of mid 4.7 second 40-yard dash times that could leave his stock tumbling in a tightly packed safety class.”
How this impacts the Steelers evaluation is anyone's guess, but it should mean the safety stands a better chance of being available when Pittsburgh picks in Round 2 if they want him.
Although this scouting report from Kyle Crabbs of The Draft Network appears to indicate a player who may lack the coverage skills the Steelers need in the secondary.
“Taylor Rapp is a bit of a throwback, he has terrific skills in run support and it’s easy to fall in love with his motor and splash plays in pursuit. But in coverage, Rapp presents several concerns, primarily surrounding his ability to cover the necessary ground to be an effective defender in either man or zone coverage. Rapp lacks mobility and short area change of direction skills, he’s going to be a more effective presence in the box as compared to playing 12-15 yards off the ball.”