Steelers/NFL
As expected, the Pittsburgh Steelers were highly represented today at Pitt’s pro day and Scott Brown of ESPN makes the argument that under the radar draft prospect Ray Vinopal (5-10, 200 lbs) should be on the Steelers radar after a strong showing today. Vinopal registered 26 reps in the 225-pound bench press and ran the 40-yard dash in the 4.49-4.56 seconds range.
Brown on Vinopal potentially being of interest to the Steelers:
“The Steelers have a need at safety and always do extra homework on draft prospects they consider local such as Vinopal, who is from nearby Youngstown, Ohio. Plus, the Steelers have found players who were overlooked in the pre-draft process. They took West Virginia safety Ryan Mundy, a Pittsburgh native, in the sixth round of the 2008 draft. They picked Florida State linebacker Vince Williams in the sixth round of the 2013 draft. Neither player received an invitation to the combine. Mundy played four seasons for the Steelers, while Williams has been a key contributor in his first two NFL seasons. Vinopal started his final two seasons at Pitt and intercepted five passes, including two in a 2013 win over Notre Dame. He also served as a defensive captain and earned a degree in finance.”
NFLDraftScout ranks Vinopal as the 17th ranked free safety. He was not invited to the combine.
Vinopal had 1 interception, 5 pass defensed and 70 tackles this past season for Pitt.
