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Jerrod Clark Taking Coaching Right From Steelers HC Mike Tomlin

The Pittsburgh Steelers have given defensive tackle Jerrod Clark specific instruction on what he needs to improve on.

Stephen Thompson

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MOBILE -- The Pittsburgh Steelers have made it clear they are locked in on the trenches at the Senior Bowl. General manager Omar Khan and head coach Mike Tomlin have embedded themselves with the linemen this week at practice and even off the field, Tomlin is taking time to coach the big boys. 

Former Coastal Carolina nose tackle Jerrod Clark said he's met with Tomlin twice and both times the head coach of the Steelers gave him some points of emphasis for him to work on the rest of the week. 

“I got to meet him in person twice - once at the formal meetings with all the different teams," Clark said. "He told me to just run to the ball. He wants to see me run to the ball and play consistent. Then yesterday he said he wants me to be more violent with my hands - just be more dominant consistently.”

Clark, the biggest man at the Senior Bowl, has had no trouble moving linemen with his size in college but even his coaches at Coastal Carolina wanted him to bring a higher motor and improve technically. Clark said the advice really took hold when he heard it from an NFL coach. 

In addition to the technical feedback Clark has received, he has discussed his weight with teams from all around the league. Clark weighed in at 343 pounds when arrived in Mobile and teams have said they prefer him to be slightly smaller - somewhere in between 325 and 335 pounds. The key for Clark will be to lose it gradually, so he's not . 

"I'm just trying to lose weight but lose it at a slow pace so I’m not losing 5 or 6 pounds in 4 or 5 days so I’m not losing muscle mass," Clark said.

The Steelers haven't had a true nose tackle like Clark in a while and if he can continue to mesh the feedback from coaches with his talent, he could be a valuable part of this year's draft class. 

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Stephen Thompson
STEPHEN THOMPSON

Stephen Thompson graduated with a bachelor's degree in communications and political science from Pitt in April 2022 after spending four years as a sports writer and editor at The Pitt News, the University of Pittsburgh's independent, student-run newspaper. He primarily worked the Pitt men's basketball beat, and filled in on coverage of football, volleyball, softball, gymnastics and lacrosse, in addition to other sports as needed. His work at The Pitt News has won awards from the Pennsylvania News Media Association and Associated College Press. During the spring and summer of 2021, Stephen interned for Pittsburgh Sports Now, covering baseball in western Pennsylvania. Hailing from Washington D.C., family ties have cultivated a love of Boston's professional teams and Pitt athletics, and a fascination with sports in general. 

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