Ben Sauls, one of the most prolific kickers in Pitt history, had an official predraft visit with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Tuesday.
Sauls does not count against the 30-play limit because he attended a “local” college.
Although the Steelers are set at kicker with Chris Boswell, they do bring a second kicker to training camp. Sauls, though, could be drafted based on what he did in 2024.
The 5-foot-10, 182-pound kicker led the Panthers in scoring with 107 points. He made 21 of 24 field goal attempts and converted all 44 extra points. He was second in the ACC with 1.62 field goals per game and his 87.5% field goal accuracy ranked fourth in the conference.
What has put Sauls on NFL teams’ radar is his long-range ability. He converted 6 of 7 field goals from 50-plus yards as a senior, setting a school record. He tied the school record for longest field goal when he made a 58-yarder against Cal. He also made a pair of 57-yard attempts.
Sauls finished third in school history for points by a kicker with 278.
Sauls was invited to the East-West Shrine Game and was one of four kickers to attend the NFL Combine in Indianapolis.
NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein gave a favorable review of Sauls.
“Full-menu kicking prospect whose best season was his last with Pitt,” Zierlein wrote. “Sauls has the hang-time and distance to prevent kick returns and displayed newfound deep-kick accuracy in 2024. His range helps, but teams might have to tinker with his approach and operation quickness, as it could make him vulnerable to blocks in the league.”