It’s been a rather wild offseason so far for the Pittsburgh Steelers under GM Omar Khan. The Steelers, typically a reserved, build-through-the-draft franchise, have broken from that tradition, spending some money in free agency while being quite active on the trade market.
In are quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, linebacker Patrick Queen, safety DeShon Elliott and cornerback Donte Jackson while wide receiver Diontae Johnson and quarterback Kenny Pickett are out.
But despite all of the Steelers’ moves, there are still quite a few holes on the roster. One such hole continues to stand out through the Pro Football Focus Mock Draft Simulator.
According to PFF’s lead draft analyst Trevor Sikkema, there is one position — and one player — that continues to come up as the selection in the simulator leading up to the 2024 NFL Draft.
That position? Cornerback. The player? Iowa’s Cooper DeJean.
“The talk of DeJean playing outside cornerback or safety or slot cornerback at the next level is not due to lack of a home position; it’s because he could truly be an impact player anywhere. His footwork, ball skills and explosive athleticism make him an impactful outside cornerback — one with All-Pro potential,” Sikkema writes regarding DeJean, who continues to be a popular name for the Steelers in the first round.
After acquiring Jackson from the Carolina Panthers in the Diontae Johnson trade, the Steelers have a solid 1-2 tandem at cornerback with Joey Porter Jr. coming off a dominant rookie season and Jackson having a decent career to date. But more is needed for the Steelers, who have no slot cornerback or experienced depth, having cut veteran Patrick Peterson a few days before the legal tampering window and then reportedly losing James Pierre to the Washington Commanders Thursday afternoon in free agency.
Young players in Darius Rush and Cory Trice Jr. are certainly intriguing. But Trice never played a snap last season after tearing his ACL on the first day of padded practices in training camp while Rush played a handful of snaps for the Steelers but was mostly a healthy scratch down the stretch last season.
DeJean could be a significant chess piece in the secondary for the Steelers. He can play boundary corner, slot corner and even safety, and he’s incredibly dynamic with the football in his hands.
Currently, he is recovering from a broken leg and didn’t work out at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine or Iowa Pro Day this week. But he remains one of the top defensive backs in the country, one the Steelers have shown interest in. The Steelers formally met with him at the Combine and had Midwest scout Jim Ward at Iowa Pro Day.
The 6-1, 207-pound DeJean has great size for the position, which allowed him to thrive in man coverage and stick with some of the best receivers in the country, which is pretty evident on his tape. In his last two seasons, DeJean allowed 58 receptions for 627 yards and just two touchdowns. In that same span, DeJean had seven interceptions and a QB rating against of just 46.0, according to PFF.
We’ll see if the Steelers make any additional moves at the cornerback position ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft. But right now, corner is a big need, and DeJean could plug that hole.
