The Pittsburgh Steelers have shown a lot of interest in the cornerback class. They brought in seven different corners for pre-draft visits with three of them being local prospects who don’t count against the 30-visit limit. Of the players they had in for visits, Iowa’s Cooper DeJean and Clemson’s Nate Wiggins have received a lot of first-round buzz. Kentucky’s Andru Phillips and Rutgers’ Max Melton are in that next tier as early-to-mid Day-2 prospects.
Bob McGinn has been going through each position group via the Go Long substack, and published his piece on the cornerback class today. He interviewed several anonymous scouts around the league and posts their thoughts on several of the top players at each position group.
“There’s a lot of guys with a chance to be elite but there’s a lot of question marks,” one scout said. “I think there are better players under the radar than those getting pumped up.”
Many agree that there is a lot of depth in the corner class, but if you ask different analysts to name their top five corners, the consensus is all over the place. Some of that started after the NFL Scouting Combine where several of the top corners ran underwhelming 40 times.
I am going to highlight the four corners from McGinn’s piece whom the Steelers had in for pre-draft visits, as well as Quinyon Mitchell, who had some pretty strong trade rumors linking him to the Steelers on Tuesday afternoon.
Quinyon Mitchell – Toledo – 6001, 195 pounds
McGinn had all of the scouts he spoke with rank the corner class and Mitchell came in with the second-highest average among corners in the class.
“It was a Deion Sanders-type performance,” one scout said of his four-interception, two-touchdown performance against Northern Iowa in 2022. “I didn’t want to be that high on the guy because of the people he was playing against but he might be the best. If he [had] played at Alabama I’d probably give him a top-10 pick.”
Most of the criticism or the question marks surrounding Mitchell have to do with the conference in which he played. The level of competition wasn’t what many of the other prospects faced, but he did have a strong performance at the Senior Bowl. One scout pointed to his game against Ohio State in a 77-21 loss back in 2022, noting that he looked much more ordinary in that game.
He blew away the pre-draft process with the aforementioned Senior Bowl performance and followed it up with a home run showing at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine. He ran a 4.33-second 40-yard dash and put up 20 reps on the bench press along with a 38-inch vertical.
“You’re going on traits. He has outstanding movement for his size. He tested extremely well,” one scout said. “If someone has a great nickel and is taking an outside corner, I can easily see this guy going before Arnold.”
Quinyon Mitchell Scouting Report
Nate Wiggins – Clemson – 6013, 182 pounds
Opinions on Wiggins have been all over the place, but the survey of scouts had him as the No. 3 corner in the class. He comes with high-end speed, running a 4.28-second 40-yard dash, but he also has a very slender frame for a 6013 body. Can he hold up to the physicality of the NFL and what will be expected of him in run support?
“At the top of the stem of the route will be a major issue for him,” one scout said. “The guys that lack play strength at that position, if you’re mirroring A.J. Brown and he snaps off a route and you don’t have play strength, it’s just too hard…he’ll go higher than he should.”
Wiggins is just 20 years old still, so he has plenty of time to grow into his frame and physically mature. That could be the key to NFL teams feeling comfortable with taking him early.
“These guys grow when they get into another environment. They’re going to start maturing and then you get heavier,” said another scout.
In terms of coverage, Wiggins has the athleticism and technique to lock down many receivers, but some of the more physical, contested-catch receivers could out-muscle him at the catch point.
Cooper DeJean – Iowa – 6010, 203 pounds
DeJean is one of the most versatile defensive backs in the draft class. Several scouts view him as a capable outside corner, while others believe he is more of a slot/nickel guy. There is a whole other contingent that believes his best fit is at safety.
“We thought he could do everything,” one scout said. “I don’t worry about (playing in Iowa’s zone system) at all. The athlete this guy is, you watch him play basketball…He’s not bloodthirsty but he’s solid as a tackler in space. Plays well within his speed. He’s a really good natural athlete.”
Not everyone agrees about the lack of concern over the zone-heavy system he played in at Iowa. One scout doubted that he has the hips to play corner and said, “He’ll struggle against some of the really good route runners.”
Can he hold up in man coverage despite the lack of experience executing it in college? That is part of the projection with DeJean, but the athletic tools and the competitive toughness suggest he will be a good pro. Whichever team drafts him will have to have a plan, whether it be at outside corner, in the slot, or even at safety.
Max Melton – Rutgers – 5111, 187 pounds
Melton would be scratching the slot corner itch that the Steelers have had for multiple years now. Ever since Mike Hilton departed in free agency, the position has been in flux all while it becomes an increasingly important position in the NFL with three-receiver sets.
“He’s tough, athletic, competes hard. It’s just a matter of where you take him,” said one scout. “He’s going to play well, and for a long time.”
Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano was the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for two seasons and puts a premium on special teams with his players. Melton blocked four punts in college and has the tools to make an immediate impact on special teams. Despite his lack of size, another scout was impressed with his performance against Marvin Harrison Jr., the draft’s projected top receiver.
“He was a surprise. Really talented athlete. He can really run,” said a scout. “Held his own against Marvin. Can press and run with guys. Real good in zone coverage. Doesn’t play strong in run (support); at 193 he should be better than he is.”
Melton’s testing at the Combine locked him in as an early-to-mid selection on Day 2 with a 4.39-second 40-yard dash and ridiculous explosive numbers with a 40.5-inch vertical and an 11’4″ broad.
Andru Phillips – Kentucky – 5106, 190 pounds
Phillips has received some great buzz late in the pre-draft process. Dane Brugler called him arguably his favorite player of the draft. He tested off the charts with his explosion numbers, including a 42-inch vertical and a 11’3″ broad jump, but his 40-yard dash was just okay at 4.48.
“He’s excellent. His movement skills, his toughness, his awareness and production…to me, this guy’s a slam-dunk starter,” said one scout. “He can play inside and outside – probably better in the slot. He’s so fluid. You’d be good with him as your No. 2 corner moving forward.”
The Steelers need both a No. 2 and a slot corner, so drafting a guy like Phillips could go a long way toward alleviating both needs. They would still need to add another corner at some point, but getting a versatile guy could make it less of a need to try and get two in one draft.
