2026 NFL Draft•Shrine Bowl•Steelers News
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The Pittsburgh Steelers continued toward their maximum 30 pre-draft visits ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft by hosting Illinois defensive tackle James Thompson Jr. on Thursday.
Thompson is a 6-foot-5 1/2, 308-pound defensive tackle who spent one season at Illinois after transferring from Wisconsin, where he was a teammate of current Steelers defenders Keeanu Benton and Nick Herbig.
In 2025, Johnson started 13 games for the Fighting Illini, lining up all over the Illinois 3-4 defense run by former Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema.
According to Pro Football Focus, Thompson played 172 snaps as a three-technique, 160 as a five-technique over the tackle, 57 as a nose tackle and even 11 as an edge rusher.
Thompson specializes in run defense, and despite his length, is not a strong a particular strong pass rusher. He finished his six-year college career with just seven sacks. Last season with Illinois, he had 41 tackles, three tackles for loss, two sack and one pass defended — the most productive season of his collegiate career.
Before that, he spent five years at Wisconsin. Thompson missed all but one game as a true freshman in 2020 with an Achilles injury. He became a starter midway through his second full season in 2022, and had his best year with the Badgers in 2023, when he had 29 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, three sacks and a fumble recovery.
A native of St. Bernard, Ohio in the Cincinnati area, Wisconsin was one of two Power Five offers for Thompson as a three-star prospect.
In pre-draft testing, Thompson posted a strong 9-foot-2 broad jump — an important indicator of athleticism for defensive linemen — and also put up an impressive 36 reps on the bench press. He has an overall Relative Athletic Score of 8.83 out of 10.
Thompson has generally considered to be a day three draft selection, and is currently No. 276 on the NFL Mock Draft Database, down from his peak of No. 198 in late January. With 257 slots in the 2026 NFL Draft, Thompson is questionable to be taken in next month’s selection.
The Steelers previously scouted Thompson at the 2026 East-West Shrine Bowl. He is the first defensive lineman the team has hosted on a pre-draft visit.
Mentioned In This Article: 2026 NFL Draft Illinois James Thompson Jr. Pittsburgh Steelers Shrine Bowl Steelers