By Will Vandervort / NFL.com.

One might think life as Vic Beasley would be great right now.

After blowing away scouts and general managers at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Ind., a couple of weeks back, Beasley vaulted into the top 10 in most mock drafts. He was the talk of the NFL Combine and has since been the feature of conversations on the NFL Network, ESPN and Fox Sports.

But last night Beasley did not get into Clemson until after midnight as he spent much of Wednesday with his family in Georgia after the passing of his uncle John Beasley.

John, who Vic Beasley described as a father-figure to him, lost his battle to cancer.

“That was pretty rough. I came in this morning and I had to keep my head up,” said Beasley, who worked out for all 32 NFL teams at Clemson’s Pro Day on Thursday. “He always told me to keep my head up and do the right thing.

“We were very close. It was like a father-son relationship.”

Beasley honored his uncle by improving his performance in linebacker drills, one of the few areas he struggled with at the combine.

“A lot of people were impressed with my numbers (at the combine) and I was able to move in space,” he said. “I dropped a couple of balls and I didn’t finish a couple of drills there so I wanted to showcase that I’m a finisher and that I can play defensive end or linebacker.”

Most of the teams Beasley has talked with play a 3-4 defensive scheme and see Beasley as an outside linebacker. The Steelers, who will let outside linebacker Jason Worlds test the free agent market on Tuesday, are shopping for an outside backer and had four representatives on hand to watch Beasley perform.

Filling that outside linebacker position has become a top priority for the Steelers in this year’s draft especially with so many quality edge rushers coming out of college this year.

In the process, Steelers outside linebacker coach Joey Porter spoke with Beasley for a long time, while General Manager Kevin Colbert and two of their scouts also spoke with Beasley.

“He can see me as an outside linebacker with them,” Beasley said about his conversation with Porter.

An outsider linebacker in a 3-4 scheme is similar to a defensive end in a 4-3, with the exception that he is standing up and he is expected to drop in space and cover a tight end, a running back or a wide receiver that is dragging across the field. He also has to be strong against the run.

“A defensive end is more of a straight line rusher that doesn’t do much dropping,” Beasley said. “The outside linebacker position, and what I did today, showcases that I am a versatile player and I’m able to rush like I did at Clemson and I am able to drop in space.”

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney feels Beasley did what he set out to accomplish at Clemson’s Pro Day. Because he ran a 4.53 in the 40-yard dash at the combine and because he did that after weighing in at 246 pounds, the only thing Beasley had left to prove was that he could drop in coverage and do it well.

“He did not look like Stephone (Anthony) or Tony (Steward), but that is what they do for a living every day,” Swinney said. “But that again shows you how Vic is wired. He did not have any issues at all dropping back there and doing linebacker drills with two very polished guys. That’s not what he has done every day, but I thought he did pretty good.

“I might should have left him at tight end when I saw him catch that ball down the sideline. He did fine. The fact that he is out here working, he really didn’t have anything else to prove. But he wants to do everything he can to make sure he answers all questions about him.”

And that he did.