The Pittsburgh Steelers had just two draft picks remaining after selecting OLB Nick Herbig in the fourth round in 2023; both came in the seventh round, and the first went to the defense with CB Cory Trice Jr.
Some actually considered Trice their favorite draft pick because of his upside. He did not fall almost all the way out of the draft because of any concerns about his actual ability. Rather, his medical concerns put teams off, and unfortunately he ended his rookie season before it began.
Having had a promising offseason, Trice suffered a torn ACL in the early days of training camp. He had already weathered an ACL during his 2022 collegiate season, which he said better prepared him for this one.
Still, the reality is that he never even got a chance to step onto a field. His injury occurred before the Steelers got into the preseason. If memory serves, he had barely even gotten to the padded portions of practice by the time of his injury.
And he has no choice but to spend much of his second offseason rehabbing from that knee injury. That’s going to take precious time away from doing actual football things, which is pretty indispensable for him. After all, he is a completely inexperienced seventh-round draft pick. If he’s not on the field getting better, he’s falling behind.
One element to his advantage is the Steelers’ utter lack of cornerback depth. They traded for Donte Jackson to add to Joey Porter Jr., but the rest of the cupboard is virtually bare. They already lost James Pierre, and don’t seem in a hurry to reunite with Levi Wallace. Even Chandon Sullivan, primarily a slot defender, remains unsigned at this point. We’re at the point where people are talking themselves into thinking Luq Barcoo matters this year.
The Steelers do have another 2023 rookie in the mix, picking up fifth-rounder Darius Rush along the way. He’s already on his third team, however, and they sat him for much of the year. Still, he has two healthy knees, and that’s pretty important right now.
While they may use a relatively early draft pick on a cornerback, it wouldn’t shock me if the Steelers fail to address the position until Day 3. They have four picks in the first three rounds, sure. But they need two offensive linemen and a wide receiver on offense, and a defensive lineman as well.
At this point, I’m assuming at least two defensive backs not currently on the roster are making the team. Trice has a lot to prove this offseason, right down to reserving a spot for himself on the 53-man roster.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are weeks away from the 2024 NFL Draft, which means it’s time to review last year’s class. The first under new general manager Omar Khan and assistant Andy Weidl, their class generally garnered favorable reviews. Of the seven players they drafted, notably, all of them remain with the team. Additionally, three of them are starters (arguably four) and five in total are significant contributors.
