The Pittsburgh Steelers have possibly tipped their hand on a potential draft strategy less than two months out from the NFL Draft, which will take place in the Steel City in late April.
After parting ways with longtime head coach Mike Tomlin earlier this offseason, new head coach Mike McCarthy and general manager Omar Khan are wasting no time in trying to identify which draft prospects they may be interested in selecting this spring.
As the Steelers, along with the rest of the NFL, are descending upon Indianapolis for the NFL Scouting Combine from February 26 to March 1, it has become clear that Pittsburgh is very interested in one particular position group.
Pittsburgh Steelers Meet With Cornerbacks at Combine
Despite McCarthy being an offensive-minded head coach going back to his early days with the Green Bay Packers, he may decide to go defense when the Steelers are eventually on the clock at pick No. 21. According to insider Christopher Carter of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the team has already met with several future rookie cornerbacks this offseason, both at the combine and at the Senior Bowl.
According to Carter, that list of players includes the likes of Tennessee cornerbacks Colton Hood and Jermod McCoy, South Carolina cornerback Brandon Cisse, Georgia cornerback Daylen Everette, Indiana cornerback D’Angelo Ponds, as well as California cornerback Hezekiah Masses. Almost all of these defenders were named to an all-conference or All-American team.
Last season, the Steelers finished as the third-worst pass defense unit in the league after surrendering 4,437 yards through the air.
Age Is a Key Factor this Offseason in Pittsburgh
Of course, the biggest question around the Steelers right now surrounds 42-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Will he be back in Pittsburgh next season after what was something of a solid 2025 from the four-time MVP and Super Bowl champion? After all, he did record 25 total touchdowns and just seven interceptions en route to guiding the franchise to a division title.
However, Rodgers is not the only aging player on the roster. Longtime defensive tackle Cam Heyward will turn 37 in May, and with a new head coach in McCarthy coming to town, will the four-time First-Team All-Pro want to be back? Furthermore, superstar edge-rusher T.J. Watt, who did sign a contract extension before last season, will be 32 this upcoming season and had just seven sacks in 2025.
Age is also a key factor in the defensive back room, which is why it is notable that the Steelers are meeting with a line of cornerbacks at the combine. Remember, last offseason, the franchise brought in veterans Jalen Ramsey and Darius Slay to play cornerback. Ramsey would later move to safety, and Slay was eventually released.
Again, with McCarthy’s background coinciding with a potential Rodgers return, who was his quarterback for nearly 13 seasons in Green Bay, the Steelers may decide to draft another offensive weapon or two with some of their first few draft picks. But as the saying goes, defense wins championships, and with the franchise bringing home just one championship in the last two decades, it makes sense that the Steelers are pulling out all of the stops in their pre-draft process.
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