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Family Ties Have Steelers Watching Stanford CB Kyu Blue Kelly

The Pittsburgh Steelers are watching an impressive cornerback with links to head coach Mike Tomlin.

Noah Strackbein

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MOBILE -- The Pittsburgh Steelers will be looking at cornerbacks during their offseason, and in the NFL Draft, there's a player who shares close ties with head coach Mike Tomlin. 

Kyu Blu Kelly just met Tomlin for the first time at the 2023 Senior Bowl, but he's known about the coach for some time. His father, Brian Kelly, played under the Steelers' head coach during his time as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' secondary coach. 

The two won a Super Bowl together, and 21 years later, Tomlin is watching the young Kelly try to follow his father's footsteps into the NFL. 

"I mean, it's a blessing in itself," Kelly said on having his father as a mentor. "Right now, I'm getting a bunch of coaching points immediately after practice before I even reach film. Just having that guy in my corner to be my toughest critic. You know, some people really build you up a lot, and you can get complacent, but he always makes sure level keep me level-headed and keep me working."

Tomlin and Kelly did exchange some words during drills, and after a two-interception day on Day 2 of the Senior Bowl, the Steelers coach made sure to let Kelly know he was watching. 

"He's one of the greatest coaches you know," Kelly said on Tomlin. "[My dad] always talks highly about Mike T, and I see it for myself. Just seeing him out here, seeing him in NFL film, just watching how he is. he's just a great coach. I'd love to be under him, for sure."

Currently, Kelly is projected to be a second or third-round pick in the NFL Draft. The Steelers have questions at cornerback with Cam Sutton becoming a free agent and Ahkello Witherspoon and William Jackson III returning from injuries. 

If the team feels they can add to the room during Day 2 of the NFL Draft, having Tomlin coach his second Kelly might be on their list of options. 

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Noah Strackbein
NOAH STRACKBEIN

Noah is the Publisher for All Steelers, Inside the Panthers (InsideThePanthers.com) and Inside the Penguins (InsidethePenguins.com), and is the host of All Steelers Talk (YouTube.com/AllSteelersTalk). A Scranton native, Noah made his way to the Pittsburgh sports scene in 2017. Now, he's pretty much full-yinzer.

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