The Pittsburgh Steelers’ rookie draft class has been turning heads thus far in training camp, showing the team and the fan base the promise that each player brought to the table when they were individually selected. OT Broderick Jones has been steadily improving during training camp while CB Joey Porter Jr. has been turning heads as a potential Day One starter. DL Keeanu Benton and TE Darnell Washington have flashed at times while OLB Nick Herbig may be Pittsburgh’s training camp darling with how effective he’s been as a pass rusher.
While the rookie class has been living up to expectations, Pittsburgh lost a potentially impactful member of that group with CB Cory Trice Jr. going down with a season-ending knee injury. A seventh-round pick out of Purdue, Trice fell in the draft due to medical concerns, having suffered an ACL tear in his left knee in 2021. He also has a fractured ankle and a high ankle sprain in his injury history, as well as a groin injury.
Speaking on the WDVE Morning Show, Steelers GM Omar Khan mentioned Trice when talking about the rookie class and how he was leaving a strong impression on the coaching staff before going down with the injury.
“Losing Cory Trice was really tough on us, took him in the seventh round, he had a really great spring,” Khan said on WDVE. “Really a shame, had the knee injury and look forward to having him back next year.”
Trice was widely projected as a mid-round pick during the pre-draft process, earning a third-round grade from our very own Alex Kozora while receiving a fourth-round grade from former Steelers area scout Mark Gorscak. Gorscak called Trice a steal in a previous edition of The Terrible Podcast, stating his physical traits as well as his character as big reasons he was such a value pick where Pittsburgh got him.
Trice got a lot of buzz throughout OTAs and minicamp earlier in the summer and was continuing that momentum into training camp before getting injured. Hopefully, Trice is able to make a full recovery and come back in 2024 healthy and ready to compete not only for a roster spot, but possibly a role as one of Pittsburgh’s top cornerbacks.
