The Steelers Struck Gold On Day 3 After Teams Shockingly Slept On Top Value Defender

The curtain has officially closed on the 2023 NFL Draft and the Pittsburgh Steelers walk away as clear winners of the three-day marathon. The team is now focused on setting the roster heading into minicamp. As a part of that process, it is time to unpack details surrounding some prospects who had to wait to hear their names called in the waning moments of the draft. Let's get to know one of the top value picks of the draft.

Steelers’ 241st Overall Selection: Cory Trice Jr. (Cornerback), Purdue, Redshirt Senior

OVERVIEW: Just a couple of months ago, the Steelers’ secondary needed a major revitalization. Cameron Sutton left Pittsburgh for greener pastures in Detroit and left a noticeable vacancy on the outside of the secondary. 

We saw the welcomed acquisition of future Hall of Famer, Patrick Peterson earlier in the free-agency period to help provide some sort of baseline for the group heading into the draft. Opposite of Peterson remained Levi Wallace, Ahkello Witherspoon, and James Pierre. There was clearly a void that remained which had to be addressed by way of the draft.

After an eventful opening night involving the Steelers moving up to select Broderick Jones with the 14th overall pick, the fireworks would continue heading into the Friday rounds. The Steelers found themselves back on the clock after the first 31 selections were made and they were fielding calls for a potential trade leading into the beginning of the second round. 

They would ultimately proceed with the selection in calling one of the top-rated cornerback prospects in Joey Porter Jr.. This was a great call on their part, but there was an underlying notion that General Manager, Omar Khan wasn’t done adding to the cornerback room. As we fast-forward to the Steelers’ final two picks of the draft, they were able to steal another young cornerback to round out the secondary group. That steal came in the form of Cory Trice Jr..

STRENGTHS: Coming in standing 6’3” and weighing 206 pounds, Trice Jr. was one of the biggest cornerback prospects in the draft. He has the body of a strong safety, but his skillset aligns more with an outside cornerback. Trice Jr. is that tough, physical presence fans like to see on the perimeter and he isn’t afraid to use his size to his advantage. With Trice Jr.'s size brings him the ability to throw receivers off their break at the line and impact their timing in their route-running. 

From a technique-standpoint, Trice Jr. has the right traits coaches like to see in a developmental player. He has twitchy feet to allow him to stay with receivers in off-man coverage and fluid hips to make sure he stays square to his man. In coverage, he is able to use his hips to force the receiver to the outside and use his long arms to deflect the pass away. 

Trice Jr. brings a unique ability to thrive in both press-man and zone coverage schemes, which is exactly what the Steelers look for. Trice Jr. certainly has all of the right aspects Head Coach, Mike Tomlin likes to see in young defensive backs. 

AREAS OF IMPROVEMENT: Trice Jr.'s skillset does bring some limitations and areas coaches will be working on with him in camp. First is his ability to adapt his play-style to the NFL rulebook. He can be a bit too physical at times, which he was able to get away with in college, but could spell for some possible defensive pass interference calls at the professional level. He will need to find a way to keep using his size to his advantage, while maintaining the right level of physicality without drawing a penalty flag.

Next, Trice Jr.'s coverage technique will need to be improved. He tends to lose his form on breaking routes or misdirection plays leaving him lost in coverage. This leads to Trice Jr. not being able to keep up with his receiver and he has had trouble in his recovery once he loses his coverage. 

Trice Jr.'s below-average play speed is a contributor to that and is something he’ll need to work on in camp. In addition, his rush defense also needs improvement. He seems to know how to use his size in coverage, but appears to be hesitant in doing the same when going after the ball-carrier. In a tough AFC North division, this may be an area of emphasis for Tomlin in camp.

VERDICT: No matter how any fan or analyst dissects the selection of Trice Jr., it is impossible to hate it. In fact, one could would argue that it could be one of the best we’ve seen in years. On a plethora of big boards leading up to the draft, Trice Jr.'s name was hovering around the fourth and fifth rounds. 

With teams sleeping on him well through the seventh round, the 241st pick on Trice Jr. brings so much value to the roster. Between his ability to play well within different schemes mixed with his high upside-potential, he’ll be a great role-player in the secondary for Pittsburgh.

Trice Jr. is going to fit well within the Steelers’ defense. Being a rookie, he won’t be thrown into the fire early, allowing him to learn the game at the next level. Not to mention, he’s entering into a secondary featuring another rookie Big Ten Conference running-mate in Porter Jr. and a strong player-coach in Peterson. 

Not to mention, he’ll be introduced within a secondary that includes Minkah Fitzpatrick over the top to aid in extra support. Khan and the Steelers knew they needed to establish a fresh, rejuvenated cornerback room led by a strong veteran to bolster the defensive unit. 

According to one scout, Trice was one of the most slept-on prospects and the Steelers made out like bandits on the selection. This could prove to be one of the best value picks in Steelers’ history and fans should be excited to watch Trice Jr. play on Sunday's.

Were you happy to see Trice get his name called by Pittsburgh? What was your favorite pick of the draft? Let us know in the comments!