The Detroit Lions have added another cornerback to the active 53-man roster. On Tuesday, the Lions signed CB Mark Gilbert off the Pittsburgh Steelers practice squad.
Gilbert is an undrafted rookie who played collegiately at Duke. He is a long, slender outside corner at 6-0 and 188 pounds. He is probably best known for being the cousin of longtime NFL Pro Bowl CB Darrelle Revis.
In Pittsburgh, he played extensively in the preseason. He logged a Pro Football Focus coverage grade of 61.8 in 57 coverage snaps, allowing four completions on six targets. He got his hands on two passes, both in the Hall of Fame game against Dallas.
When he was on the field in college, Gilbert showed outstanding ball skills. He bagged six interceptions and was second in the ACC with 15 additional PDs in 2017. His ability to highpoint the ball and win contested catches stood out. Then came a devastating hip injury.
Gilbert played just two games in 2018 and missed all of 2019 after surgery. He rebounded back in 2020 but still played in just two games before opting out, logging one INT (against Boston College) and seven total tackles. He’s played in just four college football games and four NFL preseason games (Pittsburgh had the extra Hall of Fame game) since his breakout 2017 campaign.
Gilbert wore No. 17 for the Steelers but donned No. 28 while at Duke.
