There were approximately 40 scouts and coaches representing 15 National Football League teams in attendance at Pitt's Pro Day workout at its South Side training facility, all gathering final pre-draft times and information on nine Panthers players.

The number would have been larger had offensive tackle Jeff Otah participated in the workout.

Otah, projected to be a first-round pick in next month's NFL draft, decided to skip yesterday's workout because he still is bothered by a high left ankle sprain that plagued him throughout the college season and at February's NFL Combine. He has rescheduled his workout for April 9, less than three weeks before the NFL draft.

Instead, Otah spent most of the morning watching nine of his Pitt teammates, including offensive lineman Mike McGlynn, tight end Darrell Strong and cornerback Kennard Cox, take part in the running, jumping and positions drills that were attended by Steelers coach Mike Tomlin and director of football operations Kevin Colbert.

"I'm just healing up a little bit," Otah said. "I don't feel 100 percent. I need more time to get better, so I can train more.

"It was something I sprained before the season, and I played through it, and it never got time to heal. I definitely wasn't 100 percent at the combine, but a lot of coaches tell me the combine doesn't mean much. But I don't feel like I did my best."

Despite playing football for only five seasons -- two of which were at Pitt after transferring from a junior college -- Otah is a player who is considered to have a big upside because he is still learning technique and the nuances of the position. But his biggest asset is his size (6 feet 6, 322 pounds) and athleticism.

"They probably want to see more technique things, see how smart I am and how fast I can pick up certain drills they throw at me," Otah said of NFL scouts. "But I'm not going to worry about that now. I'm just worried about how I do when I get there. People don't remember where you're drafted at. They remember what you do when you leave."

Otah, who is 9 pounds lighter than his 2007 playing weight, has been projected as one of the top five tackles in the draft, behind Michigan's Jake Long, Boise State's Ryan Clady, Chris Williams of Vanderbilt and Tony Hills of Texas.

"He's got a lot of things you like, and it starts with 6-6, 330," Tomlin said after watching the workout. "He's a capable guy."

Tomlin and Colbert already have had pre-draft interviews with Otah, McGlynn and Strong on the South Side, something they are allowed to do under NFL rules with college players from the same city. Those players do not count against the 30 the Steelers are allowed to bring in and interview before the draft.

However, despite having a need on the offensive line, the Steelers may not have a shot at Otah with the 23rd overall pick in the draft.

"I talked to Mike Tomlin, and he's a real good guy," Otah said. "I would love to play for the Steelers and stay close to home."

McGlynn (6-4, 310), a four-year starter, started two games at right guard and nine at right tackle last season for the Panthers. But he is being projected as a guard by NFL scouts and coaches because of his height and arm length. However, what makes him an attractive mid-round prospect is that he has what Tomlin called "position flexibility."

"That's the good thing about him -- he can play three positions," said Arizona Cardinals offensive line coach/assistant head coach Russ Grimm, a former Steelers assistant who attended the workout. "He was a center before he played guard and tackle."

Strong is an intriguing prospect because of his size (6-4, 268), athleticism and big hands, yet he is not ranked among the top tight end prospects in the draft. Part of the reason is that Strong began his college career as a quarterback, was switched to wide receiver and has only been a tight end for three years.

"It went good," Strong said of his workout. "I think I did good in all the drills. I improved on all the things I did at the combine."

Size likely will be a deterrent for defensive tackle Joe Clermond (6-3, 250), who was a productive player at Pitt and led the team last season with 10.5 sacks, 13 tackles for loss and was second team All-Big East. Colbert said Clermond would be an outside linebacker in the 3-4 style of defense the Steelers employ, but he could play end for a 4-3 team.

"He's built like our linebackers," Colbert said.