It's not a secret up to this point regarding the positions the Pittsburgh Steelers will target in the 2023 NFL Draft. The organization is to focus on the big me up front on both sides of the ball as well as improve the secondary with cornerback(s) and possibly even a safety. A wide receiver could be taken as well. Overall, the news is clear and no one should be surprised when the majority or all of the selections land in these areas. A strategy from 2016 could also be in play, but fans would hold their breaths based on how it went seven years ago.
Steelers' former general manager, Kevin Colbert hangs out on the field during a training camp back when he was the head of the team's front office. | Photo Credit: Steelers.com
The organization was in desperate need of help in the secondary and the obvious plan on draft night was to target two guys that could potentially be the future at the position for the franchise. Unfortunately, the track record of selecting defensive backs wasn't good before then for former general manager Kevin Colbert and head coach Mike Tomlin. It continued that night.
The Steelers took University of Miami cornerback, Artie Burns in the first round with the 25th overall selection. Commonly referred to as the biggest first-round bust of Colbert's tenure, Burns didn't last very long in Pittsburgh. He played out his rookie contract, but the team declined his fifth-year option for 2020. His inconsistent play and horrible penalties were devastating on several different occasions.
Burns is often talked about in Pittsburgh. No one would bring up the 2016 draft being a failure if the front office selected Xavien Howard (who was drafted 38th overall) instead, but ultimately the decision was the wrong one looking back. The cornerback will go down in Steelers' history as one of the worst first-round picks ever.
Steelers former first round bust, Artie Burns. | Photo Credit: Steph Chambers / Post-Gazette
The team didn't back down from the defensive back position with the very next pick in the second round. Sean Davis was selected from the University of Maryland as the 58th overall pick. Vonn Bell was taken just three selections later. Davis played five seasons with the Steelers but wasn't exactly a staple. The team moved him to safety and he never became a top defensive player.
Davis played for three different teams in 2021 and hasn't been on an NFL roster since. Pittsburgh decided to draft two collegiate cornerbacks in 2016 and it was far from a success. No one is really talking about the idea of the organization going with the same approach in 2023, but it is not off the table.
With the amount of depth in the 2023 cornerback class, new general manager Omar Khan and coach Tomlin could look to rebuild the position entirely and attempt to set up the NFL's most dominant defense. They better be sure, however, that selecting two cornerbacks at picks #17 and #32 is the right move.
Steelers general manager, Omar Khan speaks to the media at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, IN. | Photo Credit: Michael Conroy / AP Photo
Steelers Better Be More Confident In Their Cornerback Scouting Reports This Time Around
The experiment in 2016 was a complete failure. Given the needs on the offensive and defensive lines, it's not likely that the Steelers will go after a cornerback with the first two picks, but who's to say it's out of the question? It's been done before in the Tomlin era and is a clear need on the team's depth chart. Fans better hope the duo if it were to transpire, are a better decision than Burns and Davis.
Would you be upset if Pittsburgh went with two cornerbacks in a row in the first two rounds? Let us know in the comments below!
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