With the start of the 2016 NFL scouting combine now less than two weeks away, NFL Network draft analysts Daniel Jeremiah decided to release version No. 2 of his first-round mock draft ahead of the annual event on Tuesday and he has the Pittsburgh Steelers selecting a cornerback with the 25th overall selection.
This time around, Jeremiah has the Steelers drafting Clemson cornerback Mackensie Alexander with their first-round selection and he writes:
The Steelers need to add some youth to the back end and Alexander is very polished and physical.
Alexander, who declared for the draft as an underclassman in January, recorded 23 total tackles last season at Clemson to go along with 5 pass breakups. However, he failed to record an interception in the 27 games that he played in during his college career. It should be noted, however, that Alexander only allowed 15 completions last season in the 50 times he was targeted, according to STATS.
When Alexander arrives in Indianapolis for the combine it will be interesting to see what he measures in at as several speculate he might be shorter than his listed height of 5’11”. Additionally, while Alexander should time well in the agility drills, it will be interesting to see what he registers time wise in the 40-yard dash.
Being as the Steelers haven’t drafted a cornerback in the first round of a draft since 1997, it’s tough to imagine they will select one in this year and especially since they draft 25th overall in round one. Additionally, Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert said Tuesday that he considers this year’s draft class to deep one when it comes to cornerback and safety positions.
“The secondary (class) looks to be a deep position, both at safety and at cornerback at this point,” Colbert said, according to steelers.com.
In case you missed it, Jeremiah mocked Arkansas tight end Hunter Henry to the Steelers in his first mock draft that released in mid-January. However, in his latest offering, Henry wasn’t included as a first-round selection.
