Top 5 Options For The Steelers At Cornerback In The 2023 NFL Draft

The 2023 NFL Draft is less than a week away which means the Pittsburgh Steelers, along with the rest of the league, are putting the finishing touches on their draft boards to get ready for the big day. Going into the draft, the team has a handful of positional needs that they need to address at some point and some are more pressing than others. 

Pittsburgh did do a fantastic job of plugging a few holes during free agency to create some draft flexibility and also recently traded for former Los Angeles Rams wide receiver, Allen Robinson. But with the free agency period seemingly put on pause until the draft is complete, one area fans would love to see the team address early on is the cornerback position.

The team has three selections inside the Top 50, which means they have plenty of ammo to either stay put and address the positions or trade up in the first round to take a top-tier player. So after taking a deeper look at this year's cornerback class, below are the top five prospects.  

Which Cornerback Should The Steelers Make A Priority?

1. Christian Gonzalez - Oregon

Christian Gonzalez is first on the board because out of all the names on this list, he is the most likely to have the biggest impact as soon as the season kicks off. Gonzalez is just a complete prospect and has that perfect combination of size, speed and raw athleticism that would have any cornerback needy team ecstatic if they could land him. 

Gonzalez is almost a guarantee to be selected within the first 10 picks of the draft, so it's worth noting that the Steelers still did their due diligence on the top prospect, bringing Gonzalez in for a scheduled visit with the team. Just further proving that everything is on the table. Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette goes into more detail about the team's visit with Gonzalez here.

2. Devon Witherspoon - Illinois

Devon Witherspoon is the true definition of a ballhawk. The guy is just all over the field and coming at you with 100% intensity each and every play. Most evaluations and mock drafts recently have Gonzalez and Witherspoon interchangeable with some preferring one over the other for various reasons. 

With that being said, Witherspoon is still almost a guarantee to be selected well ahead of Pittsburgh’s 17th pick and would probably require trading up.

The one potential concern Witherspoon brings with his game is that he loves to rely on anticipating the play and at the college level it worked very much in his favor. However, if he makes the wrong move and a player gets behind him, it tends to be game over. Regardless, Witherspoon still has the size and several traits for teams to get excited about. 

3. Joey Porter Jr. - Penn State

Steeler Nation's favorite prospect in this year's class is probably Joey Porter Jr. The biggest thing that puts Porter Jr. in the conversation with these other cornerback prospects in this year‘s class is his size, specifically his length.

Most Steelers fans might be a little too excited with Porter Jr., due to the obvious reasons of his father Joey Porter Sr. being a former Steeler himself, but he definitely has some work to do if he wants to reach the top of his potential at the NFL level. He has the frame and is great with his initial point of contact. 

However, something Porter Jr. needs to work on is when he’s stuck and needs to make coverage adjustments quickly. Below is a great break down of Porter Jr.’s strengths by Jason McCourty on a recent segment of Good Morning Football.

4. Deonte Banks - Maryland

Deonte Banks comes in here at number four, which just goes to show how loaded this year's class is. Banks is another player where no one is really able to predict where he's going to land. There are a ton of mock drafts showing Banks being selected by Pittsburgh with their 17th pick in the first round, with their 32nd pick to kick off the second round and literally everywhere in between. 

Banks’ draft stock has done nothing but rise since the 2022 college football season ended and understandably so. His size, ability to change direction and make quick adjustments has teams lined up to see what he can do at the next level. 

However, where a player like Witherspoon excelled, Banks seem to struggle. That has to do with playing with anticipation. Fellow Steeler Nation writer Matt Papiernik gives a great breakdown on Banks here as well as several other top prospects Pittsburgh has shown interest in these last few months.

5. Kelee Ringo - Georgia

Kelee Ringo rounds out this list and is still among the top of this year‘s very deep and talented cornerback class. Out of all of these names, Ringo is the true definition of having boom or bust potential. However, after being a key piece in the Georgia Bulldogs record-setting defense resulting in back to back National Championships, it makes sense why teams are interested in his skillset. 

Ringo is set to be an early selection in the 2nd round, which is right in the Steelers' wheelhouse with the 32nd overall pick to kick off the round. Ringo has the perfect blend of size and strength that any team would want in an outside corner, not to mention his breakaway speed that can keep up with the best receivers in the game. 

So there you have it. Have any of these prospects caught your attention? Would you like to see Pittsburgh make a move to trade up for one of the top guys? Be sure to leave a comment below and let us know! 

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