Whether you love him or hate him, it’s officially draft season when Mel Kiper Jr. comes out of the woodwork and drops his first mock draft. That day was today, and in Kiper’s first mock for the 2024 NFL Draft, he has the Pittsburgh Steelers selecting Georgia CB Kamari Lassiter.
“Sure, the Steelers hit on cornerback Joey Porter Jr. with the top pick of Round 2 a year ago, but this is a defense that saw 33-year-old corner Patrick Peterson play more than 1,000 snaps, so there’s room for an injection of youth at the position. Lassiter emerged as a lockdown corner for the Bulldogs in 2023, though he had just one career interception, which came all the way back in 2021. Still, he allowed a total of nine receptions for 91 yards as the nearest defender in coverage, and none of those passes went for scores. He could form an elite duo with Porter,” Kiper writes.
The Steelers selecting a corner with just one college interception would be a familiar formula as that’s how many Porter had during his career at Penn State. He proved in training camp that he didn’t lack ball skills, and his interception in Week Five against the Baltimore Ravens was a huge play in helping the Steelers pull off the upset.
With the Steelers potentially losing Levi Wallace after a rough 2023 season and Peterson’s future uncertain with a potential move to safety in the cards, cornerback is a major need for the Steelers. Darius Rush and Cory Trice Jr. are intriguing long-term projects, but Rush didn’t see the field enough and Trice missed all of 2023 with a knee injury so it would be too risky to rely on them for next season. Pittsburgh can find a long-term option alongside Porter here by taking Lassiter.
Measuring at 6-0, 180 pounds, Lassiter was a second-team All-SEC selection by the conference’s coaches and led Georgia with eight pass breakups this season. He also had 37 total tackles and 3.5 tackles for a loss for the Bulldogs in 2023 and was a two-time national champion at Georgia. His quick feet and ability to carry receivers downfield make him an ideal fit with Porter as an outside corner in Pittsburgh, and he’s a player who is getting more and more first-round buzz, even in a corner-heavy class.
In Kiper’s mock, Lassiter was the fourth cornerback off the board. Clemson’s Nate Wiggins went 11th overall to the Minnesota Vikings, while Terrion Arnold out of Alabama went No. 13 overall to the Raiders. Jacksonville took another potential Steelers target in Iowa’s Cooper DeJean 17th overall while Toledo’s Quinyon Mitchell became the fifth corner picked in the first round at No. 30 overall by the Detroit Lions. Ennis Rakestraw Jr., who had 24 career pass breakups at Missouri, was the final cornerback selected, going No. 31 overall to the Baltimore Ravens.
Kiper has Caleb Williams going No. 1 overall to the Chicago Bears with LSU QB Jayden Daniels ahead of Drake Maye as Daniels was selected second overall by the Washington Commanders while Maye went No. 3 to New England. The battle between Maye and Daniels to be the second quarterback selected is going to be a hotly debated topic all of draft season.
The selection of Lassiter here no doubt makes the Steelers a better team and gives them a really solid long-term option to pair with Porter. We’ll see if they address cornerback in the first with offensive tackle also a need and if they do, Lassiter’s fit next to Porter makes him an intriguing option.
