If I were the Pittsburgh Steelers, I would probably heed the advice of Houston Texans QB C.J. Stroud. While they made smart selections through the first three rounds of the 2024 NFL Draft, the absence of a cornerback is a glaring omission. Stroud had something to say about that position on the Steelers’ roster after the first round. And then they made three more selections without taking a cornerback.
“Honestly I feel like, playing against them, they need corners”, he said on Bleacher Report’s live draft broadcast on Thursday. “I think Joey [Porter Jr.] was solid last year, but Pat P was just on the back end of his career and was more so backing up and not really guarding guys man-to-man, which is kind of really the Steeler way. The Steeler way is get in your face and show you what’s up”.
Stroud was the second-overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. He brought the Texans out to a 9-6 record and reached the postseason, advancing to the second round. In addition to making the Pro Bowl, he also won the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award. He finished his rookie season completing 319 of 499 pass attempts for 4,108 yards with 23 touchdowns to 5 interceptions.
And he had one of his best games of the season against the Steelers back in Week 4. In that contest, he only went 16-for-30, but he threw for 306 yards with two touchdowns and zero interceptions. Houston also connected on a gadget passing play for a touchdown by RB Devin Singletary. And the Steelers couldn’t sack him, either.
At the time, Patrick Peterson remained on the outside on a full-time basis, and Levi Wallace still held a starting job. Both played 100 percent of the Steelers’ defensive snaps, as did S Minkah Fitzpatrick. S Keanu Neal got slightly more snaps than Damontae Kazee. Chandon Sullivan logged 21 snaps, while Porter, the rookie, played only dime with 10 snaps.
Since then, Porter ascended into the starting lineup on a full-time basis, even drawing shadow assignments. He is the Steelers’ clear top cornerback, responsible for taking away opponents’ best wide receivers. They released Peterson, and traded for Donte Jackson, a veteran starter with good speed and fluidity but lacking consistency.
Beyond that, well…the Steelers should listen to Stroud and find some more cornerbacks. At the moment, the next men up are presumptively Darius Rush and Cory Trice Jr. Both are second-year players, the former on his third team and the latter his third knee. Trice, the Steelers’ 2023 seventh-round pick, is rehabbing from a torn ACL suffered in training camp.
The other 31 teams around the league ran roughshod over the cornerback available on Day Two of the 2024 NFL Draft, but there are still some remaining. I’m not going to spoil Alex Kozora’s list running later today including several options that are fits, however.
I’ll just remind you, instead, that many have suggested the Steelers may re-sign Peterson after the draft. If they don’t land a rookie they feel could contribute meaningfully at the start of the season, they may have to. And there’s a good chance if he does return, he does so as a slot defender.
