The Pittsburgh Steelers have been considered one of the best drafting teams in the NFL with a reputation for developing their young players. They've been represented by a Pro Bowl or All-Pro at every position this millennium by a player who they originally drafted or signed as a rookie free agent; with an exception at only one position. As successful as the Steelers have been, the one position that seemingly has consistently caused the most challenge for them is defensive back, and more specifically, cornerback.
Steelers' Minkah Fitzpatrick and Ahkello Witherspoon are beaten for a TD by AJ Brown against the Eagles. | Photo: CBS Sports
Since 1987, the Steelers have only drafted two players represented by the team at cornerback as an All-Pro or Pro Bowler: Rod Woodson and Carnell Lake. The only cornerback to represent them in the Pro Bowl since then has been Joe Haden, who signed as a free agent in 2017. The best CB since was easily Ike Taylor and although he did not garner Pro Bowl recognition, he was the top CB for two Super Bowl runs. Outside these four, they have consistently missed with cornerbacks since, the question is why?
Steelers' Rod Woodson was one of the greatest cornerbacks in NFL history. | Photo: NFL Films
Rod Woodson
Woodson was a once in a generational talent who was so impressive at the scouting combine, that even when sitting with the #10 overall pick in 1987, head coach Chuck Noll instructed his defensive coordinator, Tony Dungy not to waste his time evaluating Woodson.
Tony Dungy per A Football Life, on evaluating and drafting Rod Woodson:
“In 1987, I am [the] defensive coordinator of the Steelers and defensive backfield coach. So, I’ve got this list of guys to go out and see work out and get to know them as we’re preparing for the draft.”“And I ask Coach Noll, I said, ‘Gosh, Rod Woodson, he’s not on the list.’”
“And Coach Noll replied, ‘Don’t worry about Woodson. He’s going to be a top-five pick. We’ll never see him.’”
Woodson’s slide was based largely on the very real implications of his desire to compete in the 1998 Olympics. With professional athletes not allowed to compete at the time, it would mean waiting a year for his services. Woodson would report 95-days late, limiting any impact he could make as a rookie. It was worth the wait, as Woodson won the starting job at RCB in 1988, leading the team with 4 interceptions.
By 1989, Woodson emerged as the premier cornerback in the NFL, earning the first of his 6 All-Pros and 11 Pro Bowls. In 10 years with the Steelers, Woodson totaled 38 interceptions (4th on Steelers all-time) returning a franchise record 5 for touchdowns and winning the 1993 Defensive Player of the Year Award, and was one of only 5 active players named to the NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team in 1994.
Steelers' Carnell Lake intercepts the Bills in the 2005 NFL Playoffs | Photo: NFL Films
Carnell Lake
Carnell Lake was an outstanding linebacker in college at UCLA, but considered too small to play the position in the NFL and was projected to SS. The Steelers selected him with the 34th overall pick in the 2nd round in 1989, a decision that Mel Kiper immediately criticized the organization for.
Lake was such a great athlete and player, that when Woodson suffered his ACL tear in 1995 and threatened the Steelers chances at reaching Super Bowl XXX, he did the improbable and impossible. Bill Cowher asked his star SS to move over to RCB to help the team recover from a 3-4 start. Lake had earned Second Team All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors with an outstanding 1994 at safety, and in very difficult circumstances, he replicated those honors at CB. It was an astounding accomplishment that led to the Steelers winning their next 8 games.
Jim Wexell, per On the Clock:
"In the playoffs, Buffalo Bills receiver, Andre Reed boasted before the game that the Bills would pick on Lake, but Lake intercepted a pass, recovered a fumble, and added 5 tackles to the Steelers’ 40–21 win. They advanced to Super Bowl XXX and Buffalo would not win another playoff game until 2020."
Lake moved over to RCB again in 1997 and earned First Team All-Pro honors for the first time in his career. Lake’s season was so outstanding that he received a vote for AP-MVP from Peter King (indirectly leading to a tie in the MVP vote that year). After another season at cornerback in 1998, the Jacksonville Jaguars offered Lake more than the cash-starved Steelers could, so the LB turned SS turned CB would see his career finish in the sunshine state.
Steelers' Ike Taylor makes a critical late interception in Super Bowl XL | Photo ABC Sports
Ike Taylor
The Steelers broke with all tradition to trade up in the 2003 draft to select Troy Polamalu, but were coming off a disastrous 2002 campaign in which the pass defense dropped from 4th in 2001 to 20th in 2002. The Steelers still needed help in the secondary. They targeted Ricky Manning, but without the 3rd round pick used to move up to acquire Polamalu, the Steelers went full project mode to select a converted RB with 4.2 speed in Ike Taylor who only played one season at CB.
The selection of Taylor came under fire, in particular to those who were not a fan of the trade for Polamalu. But one thing was for certain, Ike Taylor was definitely an athlete who recorded Woodson-like times in his pre-draft workouts. If Taylor played at a bigger college or for more than one year at CB, his draft stock likely would have been higher.
Jim Wexell, per On The Clock:
"The 6’1”, 191-pounder reportedly ran in the 4.2s at his pro day. One report even had him running a 4.19. Taylor said the best time of which he was aware was a 4.24 at one point in college, and that all he really knew about his pro day was that his slowest time was 4.36."
Taylor did not generate turnovers (14 interceptions in his career) or big plays (only 2 pick-sixes). With a season high of only 3 interceptions, Taylor did not garner a lot of national recognition. But Taylor was a top CB when it came to coverage and was a key contributor to Super Bowl XL and Super Bowl XLIII victories.
Steelers' Joe Haden was one of the franchises greatest free agents | Photo CBS Sports
Joe Haden
The Steelers signed Joe Haden in 2017 after he was released by the Cleveland Browns in a salary cap move. At the time, the former two-time Pro Bowl and All-Pro CB missed 18 games over three seasons and the Browns were going through another front office change. The Steelers aggressively pursued Haden and matched the contract amount Haden was due from the Browns.
Haden’s impact to the 2017 defense was felt immediately, starting at CB and the pass defense held their opponents under 250 yards per game in the 11 games he played that season. Haden gave the Steelers 5 extremely good years before retiring in the 2022 off-season, including the only Steelers representation from the CB position in the 2019 Pro Bowl in over 20 years. Haden’s best season in 2019 came with 5 interceptions, 1 forced fumble and 1 fumble recovery.
Haden was taken with the #7 overall pick of the 2010 NFL Draft. The Steelers' Mike Tomlin attended his pro day, but they were nowhere near a position where they could hope to have selected the top CB prospect coming out of the 2010 as they selected 18th overall.
Synopsis: High Return for High Risk and High Reward
The top 4 CB's the Steelers have two things in common – they were all great athletes with great size and speed. Haden and Woodson were selected in the top 10 of the draft as the most NFL ready and refined, while Taylor and Lake were projects who developed into new positions where they excelled. It’s worth noting that both the Taylor and Lake selections came with some criticism as they did come with risk.
Evaluation: 1st Round Drafting
Since 1990, the Steelers have averaged selecting 22nd overall, with only 4 times selecting in the top 13 picks. With such a premium on the abilities of CB's, its not surprising that they have not been in position to select any of the blue-chip prospects coming out of the NFL Draft and have only used their first-round pick on CB's 3 times: Deon Figures (23rd in 1993), Chad Scott (24th in 1997), and Artie Burns (25th in 1997).
Chad Scott had a solid but unspectacular career (with Pro Bowl caliber seasons in 2000 and 2001) which was unquestionably impacted by an ACL tear early in his career. Figures and Burns turned out to be busts. One of the rare years the Steelers were close to being in position to draft an elite CB was in 2007, when Darrelle Revis was the #1 player on their board with the #15 overall pick. But the New York Jets moved up to select the star CB out of the University of Pittsburgh. If the Steelers continue to struggle in 2022, they may want to look at defensive back with their top pick.
Evaluation: Free Agency
Haden was an incredible hit in free agency, but overall, the Steelers, who are not big spenders on the open market, have not found top DB talent in the off-season. Steven Nelson was signed in 2019 and was a solid CB, but his performance has been matched by Cam Sutton. Dewayne Washington was a former first round pick of the Minnesota Vikings who was signed in 1998 and gave the Steelers a solid 5-year run and struggled later in his career.
Steelers' Troy Polamalu dives over the top to stop Kerry Collins in a 2010 contest. | Photo: CBS Sports
Evaluation: Trades
The best defensive backs of the 2000's on the Steelers have both come through aggressive trades and both have played safety. Moving up to select Troy Polamalu in 2003 directly resulted in the Steelers winning two Super Bowls and the trade of a 1st round pick for Minkah Fitzpatrick has provided the Steelers with an All-Pro free safety. However other trades have not worked out.
Perhaps the most easily forgotten trade was that of Ricardo Colclough in 2004. The move up in the 2nd round (with Bob Sanders on the board) positioned the Steelers to take a top-level athlete that came with some risk (like Taylor and Lake) and in this case, it did not work out. The fact that the move was made and a future DPOY was on the board signifies that the move wasn’t wrong as much as the player selected in this case, and trading up is a risk the Steelers should consider taking more often.
Evaluation: System
The Steelers have played a 3-4 base defensive scheme with an emphasis on the pass rush. In a traditional Cover-3, the outside linebackers will assume more coverage responsibility. That is not the case with the Steelers, who use their OLB's as de facto defensive ends. T.J. Watt and James Harrison were rarely in pass coverage compared to rushing the passer and even when they have been, they have rarely covered in the flat. The Steelers pass rush heavy scheme puts a lot more responsibility on the CB's in coverage, especially compared to a Cover-2, making it harder to be outstanding in their scheme.
Determination
For the Steelers to field a top-level CB, it will have to come from having a bad season and landing a top-level player or a significant change in scheme. The multitude of CB's that come in as #2 CB's in free agency or in later rounds in the draft is clearly not working, and the Steelers have not demonstrated a willingness to trade for a veteran CB or pay top dollar on the free agent market.
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