The cornerback position has been seen as a main area of need all offseason, especially after Cam Sutton left to sign with the Detroit Lions. While Patrick Peterson will be a nice fill-in for a year or two, the team needs a young, long-term cornerback. They've been connected to just about every top cornerback in the upcoming 2023 NFL Draft, most notably Joey Porter Jr. and Deonte Banks.
Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
The departure of cornerback Cam Sutton has the Steelers searching for a young cornerback in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Those are some of the top names, but the front office has also shown an interest in guys in that next tier of corners, like Kansas State's Julius Brents. Miami's Tyrique Stevenson is another example of that, but he continues to see his draft stock rise. In fact, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston, the talented cornerback may sneak into the first round. Beyond that, it seems like he will be an option for the black and gold with the 17th overall pick.
Miami @CanesFootball corner Tyrique Stevenson, a rising draft prospect regarded as viable option for #Steelers first-round pick, has visited Pittsburgh #Cowboys, #Packers #Bears and visits #Jaguars Sunday, per league source, has had Zoom meetings with 20 #NFL teams. @KPRC2
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) April 14, 2023
Fans may immediately jump back to the Artie Burns pick seven years ago, who was seen as a reach in the opening round of the 2016 NFL Draft. Burns, like Stevenson, was a cornerback out of Miami. That doesn't mean fans should view Stevenson in the same limelight, but they should be cautious. He's been seen as a late second-rounder throughout the pre-draft process, but is now seeing his stock rise.
Steph Chambers / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The Steelers badly missed on their 2016 first-round pick, Artie Burns.
Would the Steelers picking Stevenson at 17 be a huge mistake?
As Wilson pointed out, several other teams are showing a ton of interest in the Miami cornerback. At the 2023 NFL Combine in Indianapolis, he did quite well in the athletic testing aspect. The two agility drills were the only two that he struggled with, as he was able to put in a nice 4.45 40-yard dash. He still walked away from the week with an impressive 8.89 RAS, amongst the top scores in this cornerback class.
Stevenson's physicality is something that we don't see out of cornerbacks as much nowadays. It's a different style than several other guys in this class that the Steelers have looked at, like Banks and Emmanuel Forbes. With three top-50 selections, Pittsburgh will have several options to improve the cornerback position. Selecting Stevenson at 17 may seem like a reach, but it's clear that the front office are interested in his play style.
What are your thoughts on this potential pick at 17? Do you think this would be too big of a reach? Who are your favorite cornerback prospects in this year's class? Share your thoughts in the comment section below, as well as on our social media sites!
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