The Steelers have some idea about what positions they want to draft, but what if a premium talent is available outside of those? Which players of positions that are not significant needs would make the team pivot? Now, it likely wouldn’t be an actual pivot with the way the Steelers do their draft boards, but it may feel that way. We know they’re interested in wide receivers and guards, for example. But what about an elite cornerback who is available when they make their first-round selection?
“One name I’ll mention: Jermod McCoy. If he’s there at 21, I’ll be curious to see what the Steelers think about that”, draft analyst Matt Williamson said on Breakfast with Benz. He noted that cornerback is not a huge need, but McCoy’s talent is tempting. The former Tennessee star missed last season entirely due to a torn ACL but is still seen as a first-round talent.
“He ran in the 4.3s at his Pro Day and he is an upgrade over what Joey Porter Jr. was coming out. And Joey was obviously a very good player”, Williamson said, comparing McCoy to the cornerback the Steelers took 32nd overall in the 2023 NFL Draft. Pittsburgh is trying to sign Porter to an extension this offseason, however, and added Jamel Dean in free agency.
In our scouting report, Alex Kozora named Denzel Ward as his NFL comp for Jermod McCoy, which is saying something. Ward has been one of the steadiest cornerbacks in the league for years. Increasingly, it seems, the Steelers recognize cornerback is a position at which you can never have too many good players, but in recent years, they have relied on veterans rather than the draft. Every year, Porter has had a new veteran partner with whom to work, Dean being the latest.
“Someone like Jermod McCoy could be a guy that just gets pushed down [in the draft] by circumstance even though he’s a really good player, and it may force the Steelers to rethink who they might take there”, Williamson said. And if we’re being honest, Pittsburgh has a history of being more forgiving of injuries. Some teams were worried about Jarvis Jones’ neck in 2013; it turns out they should have worried about everything else. But I digress…
The Steelers still seem most likely to draft a wide receiver or guard in the first round, but would they pass on a potentially elite cornerback? They didn’t bring in Jermod McCoy for a pre-draft visit, and he didn’t work out at the Combine. But talents like him have little to no chance of falling to 21 if there is no risk factor involved, so how risky are they willing to be if they have the opportunity to draft him?