Virginia's Eli Harold isn't considered one of this year's elite edge rushers, but he still is getting a lot of attention in the run-up to the draft and easily could end up as a first-round pick.
Harold (6-foot-3 1/8, 247 pounds) has had visits and/or worked out for 14 teams, according to Yahoo Sports. Five teams were mentioned, including the Pittsburgh Steelers, who played host to Harold on Wednesday.
Four other teams were mentioned: the Chicago Bears, Jacksonville Jaguars, New Orleans Saints, and New York Jets.
Harold fits with Pittsburgh, which needs a pass rusher and picks 22nd overall, which is in line with Harold's expected draft slot. Here's a quick look at whether he fits with the other four teams:
» Jacksonville: The Jaguars are in the same situation as the Bears -- they need an edge rusher, but their first-round pick, No. 3 overall, looks to be way too early for Harold. Jacksonville picks fourth in the second round (36th overall), and the Jaguars certainly would be interested in Harold there; however, they appear likely to use their first-round pick on an edge rusher. Yes, the Jaguars need a pass rush, but spending the first two picks on edge rushers on a team with this many holes would be silly.
» New Orleans: This could be interesting. The Saints are another team in the market for an edge rusher, and they pick 13th overall. Is that too early for Harold? For most teams, yes. But the Saints might have him higher on their board than some other teams, and they might feel comfortable grabbing him there if other edge rushers already are gone. New Orleans also has the 31st overall pick, and Harold could entice there, too, if he hasn't been picked.
» New York Jets: New coach Todd Bowles probably dreams about what fun he could have moving an athletic edge rusher around. But the Jets pick sixth overall, and, again, that seemingly is too early for Harold. New York picks fifth in the second round (37th overall) and certainly would be interested in Harold, though he seems likely to be gone by then.
Harold ranks 26th on NFL Media analyst Daniel Jeremiah's list of the draft's top 50 prospects; Jeremiah calls him "an ideal fit as a 3-4 outside linebacker."
Two NFL Media analysts have Harold going in the first round of their mock drafts, with one saying he is bound for the Arizona Cardinals and the other saying he's bound for the Philadelphia Eagles.
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.
