When Mike Tomlin's son, former Boston College wide receiver Dino Tomlin, went undrafted after 257 picks, it felt like the most obvious move in the world for the Pittsburgh Steelers to bring in their head coach's kid. After all, the Steelers could use more receiver depth, and Tomlin displayed some nice tools, especially in pre-draft testing. But Tomlin isn't concerned about nepotism — he's more concerned about Steelers DNA, which is why Dino Tomlin is heading to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, not Pittsburgh.
Dino didn't sign a full UDFA contract with the Bucs and, instead, will head to rookie minicamp ostensibly for a tryout, as Ashley Liotus of WTAE reported. As for the Steelers, though, it's clear that the head coach had his team's best interest at heart more so than bringing a famil member into the fold.
For all of the positives that the 5-foot-11 Dino Tomlin brings, especially after posting a 4.45-second 40 time at the Boston College pro day, he simply doesn't fit what Pittsburgh needs in the wide receiver room. Yes, the Steelers have big bodies in DK Metcalf and George Pickens (for now) but the ancillary pieces like Roman Wilson and Calvin Austin III are in the same mold as Dino. Mike Tomlin is well aware of that, and the laser-focused head coach isn't ready to risk dynamics just to add his son.
Mike Tomlin lets son, Dino Tomlin, go elsewhere in the NFL for the Steelers' best interest
Pittsburgh didn't use any of their seven draft picks on a wide receiver, but they did bring in two UDFA signings at the position who weren't the head coach's son. Tomlin and general manager Omar Khan inked deals with former Memphis wide receiver Roc Taylor and former Indiana pass-catcher Ke'Shawn Williams.
Taylor and Williams fall on opposite ends of the coin but as different style of players than the younger Tomlin. The former is a towering physical specimen at 6-foot-2, 213 pounds with nice athleticism for his size, he just happens to be raw with his technique and inconsistent with his hands, making him a worthwhile project. Williams, meanwhile, fits more into the gadget role and potentially as a special teamer at 5-foot-9, 188 pounds but with nice agility, quickness and suddenness with the ball in his hands.
Those are two roles that the Steelers need more depth with at receiver on the roster. Tomlin, meanwhile, doesn't really fit either of those molds, nor does he necessarily offer anything that free agent newcomer Robert Woods, who isn't even a guarantee to make the roster, does.
All this is to say, while it would've certainly been a fun story for Dino Tomlin to make his way into Steelers minicamp, it wasn't in the best interest of Pittsburgh. If there's one thing we know about Mike Tomlin, it's that his team's best interest is at the heart of every decision. And if that means not extending a favor or even a deserved invite to his own son, then that's the tough truth of it.