Steelers CB Justin Layne checks all the boxes for a shutdown cornerback

Did the Pittsburgh Steelers get the most underrated cornerback in the 2019 NFL draft class? Depending on how you measure potential NFL success, the answer could be yes. The Steelers drafted the former Michigan State star in the third round and got the cornerback with the lowest completion percentage against last season.

There are lots of ways to look at a cornerback prospect in the evaluation process, but Layne really does check all the boxes. He’s not legit NFL size at 6-foot-2 and 192 pounds. His speed is solid after posting a 4.5 40-yard dash.

But when you pair up 15 pass breakups as a junior along with a 22.4 percent completion percentage against, you understand Pittsburgh has the makings of a true shutdown corner.

The only question now is how quickly will the Steelers get Layne on the field and what will that look like? Pittsburgh has Joe Haden and Steven Nelson as starters and Mike Hilton is locked in as the slot cornerback. He might not contribute a ton as a rookie but the future of the position looks bright with Haden a free agent at the end of the season.

There were 90 draft-eligible CBs that were targeted at least 40 times on passes ten or more yards past the line of scrimmage since 2017.#Steelers rookie CB @_jlayne allowed the lowest completion % of them all on those passes at just 22.4%. https://t.co/sQlEZWsKLY

— PFF PIT Steelers (@PFF_Steelers) June 8, 2019