Steelers Now Have Perfect Chance To Boost Defense With Brother Of Elite Defender

The Pittsburgh Steelers are set to build up a great team that can help a young quarterback thrive for the future. General Manager Omar Khan has 12 picks to play with, and he has an infinite number of options to utilize one them. Everyone is excited about what he could do with his first-round option, but finding studs in the later rounds will be huge to truly be set up to succeed for years to come. With all the draft capital in hand, Pittsburgh has multiple chances to find great but overlooked players. 

The Steelers have a perfect scheme fit option that is projected to go near the end of the draft. Brother of top prospect Sonny Styles, Lorenzo Styles Jr. was also a big part of the generational Ohio State Buckeyes 2025 defense. Unfortunately, he primarily plays a position that is devalued at the NFL level, which definitely hurts his draft stock. Slot corners are not seen as a much-needed position yet.

According to Dane Brugler of The Athletic, Lorenzo Styles has top-end speed and great run-defending skills while still looking to improve his coverage. He is a somewhat raw prospect, but with his skillset and projected draft spot, he is definitely worth taking a flyer on.

"[Lorenzo] Styles turned heads at the NFL combine with his rare testing speed, which translates to the field in his ability to carry deep speed or burst to close," Brugler said. "But he doesn’t consistently play fast on tape because of delays in his reads or panic moments that take him out of position. Though he is still piecing things together in coverage, he made clear improvements with his reliability in run support."

Lorenzo Styles is also seen as a guy that can stay in a receiver's hip pocket, which is exactly how the Steelers' cornerback room prefers to operate. He will have plenty of mentoring from the established corners on the team, whether he starts or not. His ability to stop the run from the slot will be a huge factor in him making the 53-man roster, as he can take the field on run-down situations while Brandin Echols can work the passing game more. 

Lorenzo Styles also has some versatility, and he is very useful on special teams. The Steelers did lose a ton of special teams aces in the 2026 offseason, so they may see that as a need. With players like him, Pittsburgh likes to bring them into camp without a position and let them see where they thrive at. He could end up being a slot corner, safety, dime-backer, or maybe another position that he may not even know about.

For a guy listed as a seventh-round prospect, Lorenzo Styles does have a high ceiling. The floor appears to be special teams ace that does not actually see the field often, but with where he is selected to go, there is very little risk here. With all of the great defensive backs on the team, he will have plenty of time to work his craft and become a future starter at whatever position he fits the best at.

Steelers Have Announced Priority At Defensive Back

Recently, Khan spoke about how he wants to keep loading up on defensive backs due to how injury prone the position as a whole is. That should be encouraging to Lorenzo Styles, as that means he will have a chance to go to Pittsburgh whether it selects a defensive back early in the draft or not.

If Khan's assessment of the position group is right, he may even get a chance to play defense in his rookie season. 

What do you think about the Steelers possibly drafting Styles in the later rounds? Let us know on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.

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