Pittsburgh Steelers first-round discussion has been relatively binary. Choice A or B, center or offensive tackle. And there’s still a good chance that’s the direction Omar Khan goes at No. 20. But to take the blinders off for a second, to zoom out and look at what the Steelers are telling us instead of just what we think makes sense, cornerback can’t fall out of that discussion.
Bringing in Clemson likely first-round pick and top-end cover corner Nate Wiggins is just the latest hint. Mike Tomlin and Khan, two of the team’s three draft day decision-makers (the third being owner Art Rooney II), showed up at only four Pro Days this year, an unusually low number. But the ones they went to had secondary talent. Alabama was awash in it in CBs Terrion Arnold and Kool-Aid McKinstry. Clemson had Wiggins. Michigan had top slot corner Mike Sainristil while Georgia presented Kamari Lassiter, whose stock has cooled throughout the pre-draft process but someone who should still be a top-75 selection.
Of course, those schools also had plenty of talent elsewhere. Tomlin and Khan go where the aggregate talent is. But corner was at or near the top of that list.
A counterpoint to this cornerback thought might be DB Coach Grady Brown’s lack of a presence. As we wrote about last week, we didn’t spot Brown anywhere on this circuit’s Pro Day trail. While that could be a signal of less interest in drafting the position, when it comes to the first round, the positional coach doesn’t matter much. The general rule of thumb has been Tomlin and Khan tell you who the first rounder will be. The positional coach informs of the Day 2 selections. Meaning, Brown didn’t have to be there for cornerback to be in play at No. 20. And even granting the point, while Brown wasn’t visible, Ike Taylor showed up for at least three Pro Days: Alabama, Michigan, and Miami (Fla.).
Even with Donte Jackson’s arrival, the need is still there. Jackson is arguably a better player than how unfavorably Carolina Panthers fans viewed him but he’s still a stopgap. His contract expires after 2024 and he’ll be 29 by the time free agency rolls around next March. Depth at cornerback is thin and unknown with Darius Rush, Cory Trice Jr., and several Reserve/Future dart throws. If outside corner isn’t addressed in 2024, it’ll become a top need in 2025. This says nothing of slot corner, an even bigger void, though it’s doubtful the Steelers have a desire to solve that in the first round unless they want to target versatile Iowa DB Cooper DeJean.
Talent and options will likely be there for the Steelers when they make their pick. In a strong class at quarterback, wide receiver, and offensive tackle, a big-name cornerback could get pushed down into the Steelers’ lap. Someone even like Arnold could fall while Toledo’s Quinyon Mitchell, Wiggins, and McKinstry could also be in the mix.
It’s reasonable and fair and ultimately, probably true offensive line will be the position group on the card with the Steelers’ 20th pick. Their odds are still higher than corner. But if corner does become the choice, like many thought it’d be last season, Pittsburgh left plenty of bread crumbs telling us it would.
