LSU's Gilmore, FSU's Thomas among 13 undrafted free agents joining Steelers

Two players who visited the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex during the pre-draft process were among 13 players the Steelers signed to free agent contracts following the NFL Draft.

LSU defensive end Greg Gilmore and Florida State linebacker Matthew Thomas were among the Steelers' 23 pre-draft visitors.

Gilmore is a 6-foot-4, 311-pound nose tackle who was invited to the Senior Bowl but did not receive an invitation to the NFL Combine. In his final season at LSU, Gilmore had 53 tackles and led the Tigers with 7.5 sacks.

Thomas led Florida State in tackles in each of the past two seasons, but his college career didn't get off to a good start. He was suspended for the first six games of the 2014 season for violating team rules. He also was suspended for the entire 2015 season because he was academically ineligible.

At the NFL Combine, Thomas ran the 40-yard dash in 4.58 seconds. He also had the top vertical jump by a linebacker (41.5 inches) and the second-best broad jump (133 inches).

Also signed were Pitt wide receiver and kick returner Quadree Henderson and Penn State defensive tackle Parker Cothren. They were among a group that included Western Michigan running back Jarvion Franklin, Villanova cornerback Trey Johnson, N.C. State tight end Pharoah McKever, TCU center Patrick Morris, Elon offensive lineman Ikenna Nwoketi, Toledo linebacker Olasunkanmi Adeniyi, UAB guard Chris Scheuger, UConn cornerback Jamar Summers and Tennesse defensive end Kendal Vickers.

Joe Rutter is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at jrutter@tribweb.com or via Twitter @tribjoerutter.