Everyone has their own type. Their favorite type of food. Maybe Italian, maybe good ‘ol American home cooking. Maybe what you look for in a partner. Blonde hair, blue eyes, or, if you’re like me, a woman who will show any amount of interest in you. For the Pittsburgh Steelers, they have a clear type at cornerback. They want their guys to have size, length, and the ability to match receivers who look more like NBA small forwards.
Over their last two drafts, the team has taken three corners: Joey Porter Jr., Cory Trice Jr., and Ryan Watts. All three offer similar profiles and the Steelers, like Pete Carroll’s Seahawks or Chris Ballard’s Colts, have a clear vision for what they want from their corners.
To put it in perspective, below are the heights, weights, and lengths for the last three corners Pittsburgh has taken.
| Name | Height | Weight | Arm Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joey Porter Jr. | 6024 | 198 | 34 |
| Corey Trice Jr. | 6033 | 205 | 32 3/8 |
| Ryan Watts | 6027 | 208 | 34 1/2 |
It’s hard to find three NFL corners larger than that. Watts’ NFL position is up for debate, with some thinking he’ll play safety. It’s likely the Steelers dabble with him at both until they determine his best fit. Still, he’s also a large safety, and if he stays at corner, he will have historically long arms for the position.
The trend is interesting because the Steelers cornerbacks didn’t play a ton of press man last year. They used more zone in 2023 than they did in 2022. But that’s partially due to injuries and the options at corner outside of Porter. Press-man isn’t Patrick Peterson or Levi Wallace’s game. Trice missed his entire rookie year and Watts just got here. This year could serve as a better gauge of what the team intends to do philosophically.
However, it’s funny to note that the starting corner opposite Porter this year is expected to be Donte Jackson. He’s the opposite type of corner—smaller and shorter. Coming out of the draft, Jackson weighed in at 5104, 178 pounds, with 29 1/2-inch arms. He’s fast but tiny, especially compared to what Pittsburgh’s been collecting at cornerback. Perhaps they aren’t married to one type. But when they have more options through the draft, they’re grabbing the biggest and longest corners they can find.
