It's no secret the Steelers have struggled when it comes to finding cornerbacks in the draft. It doesn't help when most of the corners they have taken were drafted in the third round or later -- or that their early-round corners, such as Artie Burns and Senquez Golson, haven't worked out for different reasons.
The Steelers are hardly alone in this. Finding corners in the draft is as big of a crapshoot as finding quarterbacks. For example, in the 2016 draft -- when the Steelers took Burns with the 25th pick -- four corners were selected ahead of him.
Of those, only Jalen Ramsey, the fifth-overall pick, has been to a Pro Bowl. Eli Apple, taken 10th, already wore out his welcome with the Giants and was traded to the Saints, while Vernon Hargreaves, taken 11th by the Buccaneers, is nothing more than an average player. William Jackson, taken by the Bengals one pick before Burns, finally became a full-time starter for Cincinnati in 2018 and looks like a promising player, but he played on the NFL's worst defense last season.
Because of the crapshoot in taking corners, neither team in the recently completed Super Bowl featured a cornerback drafted onto their rosters. Of course, neither did the Steelers in 2018, as Joe Haden, Coty Sensabaugh and Mike Hilton all were players brought in via free agency. Only Burns, who wound up playing 29 percent of the team's snaps, and Cameron Sutton (23 percent) saw significant playing time at the position as players drafted by the Steelers.
But with Sensabaugh set to become a free agent and Burns on his last legs with the team, the Steelers could certainly be in the market for another corner when free agency begins next month.
Many of the corners available are strictly slot guys, but here's a group of outside corners the Steelers could take a look at:
Ronald Darby, Eagles: Darby is exactly what a team wants in looking to upgrade at the corner spot, though he suffered a torn ACL in mid-November. The Eagles are tight against the cap and have some other players to take care of, but considering the state of their secondary at the end of last season, they'll likely try to move sun and moon to keep Darby. He's still just 25 and would be costly, but he has broken up 54 passes and picked off six in his four seasons. You'd like more picks, but perhaps playing opposite Haden would help that. Even coming off the injury, Darby will draw top dollar and is probably out of the Steelers' price range.
Steven Nelson, Chiefs: A Chiefs cornerback? Sure. Nelson was easily the Chiefs' best corner last season, not that it's saying a whole lot. But he had four interceptions and 15 passes defended last season. The Steelers haven't had a corner intercept that many passes in a decade. Kansas City has some other defensive issues to take care of and will likely make a play to keep Nelson, but the 25-year-old would look good opposite Haden.
Bradley Roby, Broncos: Roby finally became a full-time starter last season and struggled through perhaps his worst season, allowing a passer rating of 108.9. But that was outside the norm of his career. In 2017, for example, he allowed a much better passer rating of 82.0. He won't be quite as costly as Darby and with seven career interceptions and seven forced fumbles in his five seasons, the former first-round draft pick might be more of what the Steelers need in their secondary.
Pierre Desir, Colts: There's a good chance the Colts, who have a ton of cap space, will be in the market for an upgrade over Desir. But he played pretty well in 2018, allowing just 11.2 yards per catch, which ranked 20th among the league's corners. He also had eight pass breakups and an interception, while forcing two fumbles. A former fourth-round pick of the Browns, the 28-year-old product of Division-II Lindenwood University has taken a while to become a starting corner, but at 6-1, 198 pounds, he's got ideal size. He also played with Haden in Cleveland, so the Steelers will have plenty of inside knowledge on his background. Desir also is coming off a contract that paid him just $1.75 million in 2018. He could be a younger version of Sensabaugh, a player who isn't going to come at a huge cost, but could be a solid starter.
Kareem Jackson, Texans: OK, Jackson is going to turn 31 this spring, which is a real downer, because he's coming off an outstanding season. Jackson had 17 passes defended and two interceptions in 2018, while also forcing a pair of fumbles. But it's unlikely the Texans will make a play to bring him back. A two-year deal would be ideal. There's always the danger he falls off the cliff, but Jackson also has played some safety in his career, so at the very least, he could still help in the nickel and dime defenses.
Ken Crawley, Saints: Crawley struggled mightily in 2018, enough so that the Saints traded for Apple to replace him in the lineup. But in 2017, he allowed a passer rating of just 76.8 while picking off a pass and breaking up 17 in just 13 games. Crawley just turned 26, so his best football could still be ahead of him. He'd better hope so after allowing a passer rating of 149.8 in 2018. A one-year, prove-it deal could be in order here.
Rashaan Melvin, Raiders: Melvin has bounced around the league a bit, but has proven to be a guy who can make plays when called upon. In 2017, for example, he made 10 starts for the Colts, intercepting three passes and breaking up 13 while allowing a 59.3 passer rating. In Oakland last season, he appeared in 14 games, starting seven and had nine pass breakups and an interception. The passer rating went up to 96.2, but part of the reason for that was because the Raiders had no pass rush. Melvin is 29 and a two-year deal might get this done.
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