The Pittsburgh Steelers have a cornerback problem. Despite dedicating considerable resources to the position over the past several seasons, this unit still lags well behind the rest of the defense. In today’s NFL, when the rules are skewed so heavily toward passing offenses, Pittsburgh cannot afford to neglect cornerback anymore.
However, there is one caveat to this. If the Steelers want to truly fix their cornerback depth chart, they cannot do it in the 2019 NFL draft. History tells us the Steelers struggle too much with scouting and selecting a proper cornerback. If you want the last cornerback drafted by the Steelers to have a significant impact on the defense, you have to go all the way back to 2007 when Pittsburgh drafted William Gay in the fifth round out of Louisville.
Looking back at just the last five cornerbacks the Steelers have drafted, you can see where the disconnect is between the Steelers and drafting quality players at cornerback.
2017
Cam Sutton
Brian Allen
2016
Artie Burns
2015
Senquez Golson
Doran Grant
Between now and the 2019 NFL draft, you are going to see a ton of mock drafts showcasing first-round cornerbacks to the Steelers. The two names you are going to hear a lot of Washington’s Byron Murphy and Georgia’s Deandre Baker. It seems most NFL draft pundits have them as the No. 2 and No. 3 cornerbacks in this draft in some order.
Having studied both players closely since the season ended, it is hard to see either guy giving Pittsburgh what they need in this scheme. I think both can be fine NFL players but not in Pittsburgh. The Steelers need a player who can come in and doesn’t have to deal with NFL growing pains. And this means dipping into free agency, even if it means spending some money on the right player. It is better than paying a first-round contract to a cornerback who isn’t likely to help at all for at least the first two seasons.
