The NFL Draft is a couple weeks away. Jeff Otah had his re-do of pro-day at Pitt. He had been battling an ankle injury, that has hobbled him for the last couple months.

Although the workout was closed and those in attendance declined comment, Otah was pleased with his performance in one-on-one drills against another former Pitt offensive tackle, Mike McGlynn, who likely will be drafted.

“I feel like I moved well today,” Otah said. “My ankle felt way better than it did. My change of direction was better. I was good with my hands and I finished (blocks).

“Hopefully, the coaches were impressed.”

One team that made a strong impression by its interest was the Carolina Panthers, which sent general manager Marty Hurney and head coach John Fox to see Otah. The Panthers own the 13th overall pick, and NFL.com analyst Vic Carucci projects them to take Otah in his latest mock draft.

Carolina was the only team to send top management — rather than scouts — to his workout. Well, the Steelers showed up as well, but “sent” isn’t quite the right word when they already work in the same South Side facilities.

According to a Carolina beat writer for the Charlotte Observer, Otah is one of a few Offensive Linemen those Panthers are considering.

The other candidates are Boise State’s Ryan Clady, Boston College’s Gosder Cherilus and Vanderbilt’s Chris Williams. Of the tackles, Williams is probably least likely to be picked by Carolina.

It looks more and more likely that Otah will be picked in the 12-20 range of the 1st round.