When it was first reported that the Pittsburgh Steelers were visiting with free-agent cornerback Asante Samuel Jr., nobody was surprised that Mike Tomlin was interested in acquiring the talented cornerback... and it's not just because the Steelers had a need at the CB position.
Over the years, it's become increasingly clear that Tomlin values strong NFL bloodlines. And his team put this on display once again when Pittsburgh officially signed Samuel Jr. to the practice squad.
Tomlin and the Steelers expressed interest in Samuel ahead of the 2021 NFL Draft, and taking the former Florida State Seminole in the first round was on the table.