Every year Mike Tomlin and Kevin Colbert are questioned on their ability to draft solid cornerbacks, and after 12 seasons together the questions can't get much louder.
The failure to draft good cornerbacks made the position a major liability before the arrival of Joe Haden. Still, Haden will be 30 this month and the addition of Steven Nelson does not negate the Steelers' need for a young star at the position.
Let's look at their best options in the 2019 NFL Draft:
The Steelers' philosophy for drafting cornerbacks in recent years leaned towards finding cornerbacks that specialized in tackling and keeping the play in front of them.
That ideology has to change for this team to create more turnovers.
Last week I wrote about why Colbert needs to prioritize getting Devin White or Devin Bush at inside linebacker, even if it means trading up. But there's a good chance that the price may be too steep if teams in the top 19 picks get aggressive, as both players look to be future NFL stars.
If both are gone, the Steelers could still address cornerback and find a star for the secondary:
While most draft experts and NFL pundits are highest on LSU's Greedy Williams, I'm more partial to Byron Murphy and Deandre Baker because of their natural coverage skills.
Byron Murphy - Washington
Murphy isn't the fastest cornerback, but his tape shows a smart and technically sound defender, inside and outside the numbers.
He almost always maintains a balanced position so that he's ready when the ball arrives. At the top of the screen, watch how he works press coverage to intercept Jason Shelley of Utah. His reaction at the line allows him to maintain inside leverage so he is in position to break on the route whenever he feels the receiver committing:
Murphy has the best balance of hands, footwork and ball skills in this draft class and shows the composure to understand and react properly to most options in opponents' route trees.
Dale Lolley has the Steelers taking Murphy in his first-round mock draft.
Deandre Baker - Georgia
A student of the game, Baker combines good, physical instincts with his ability to keep to his defensive scheme and read quarterbacks.
Watch how Baker plays this underneath zone to create the interception. He runs with the go route of the split-end receiver, but properly passes him off to the safety and jumps underneath the out route to force the turnover:
Like Murphy, Baker is an exceptional cornerback with good feet, aggressive ball skills and solid tackling form. He won't bring the pop Murphy has shown on his big hits, but he follows through on fundamentals and is comfortable adjusting to man or zone coverage schemes.
Greedy Williams - LSU
Williams' speed and stats catch everyone's attention with 19 passes defended and eight interceptions in just two seasons at LSU. Combine that with his frame and he's the best prototypical NFL cornerback on paper, which has shot him to the top of many draft boards.
I put him behind Baker and Murphy because he doesn't always have the best route anticipation, consistent footwork or the aggressive ball skills to contest combat catches the way Baker and Murphy have shown.
Here Williams is in the slot and gets beat soundly by a decent slant route. Watch closely how late his feet react to the route, preventing him from properly trailing and attacking the back shoulder of the receiver:
Williams had plenty of interceptions, but most were plays where he allowed the ball to come to him or he waited on a poor throw. That can be improved with experience and coaching, but the Steelers have seen their fair share of cornerbacks that never develop.
Amani Oruwariye - Penn State
His combine performance and frame match well with his patient coverage skills that allowed him to be in position when targeted. Here he is against Pitt, sitting patiently on a double move and getting right in the hip pocket of Tre Tipton, intercepting the pass despite having his facemask pulled:
Oruwariye can be a good NFL cornerback and worth a look if cornerbacks surprisingly fly off the board in the first round. But he ranks behind the top three prospects because his feet are not the quickest to react to sharp routes and he often tries to compensate by getting too handsy with receivers, resulting in flags.
Later prospects
If the Steelers prioritize other positions early, there are still cornerbacks in the later rounds worth adding to the team's depth chart.
Prioritizing ball skills and athleticism, I'm looking at Montre Hartage of Northwestern, Sean Bunting of Central Michigan and Michael Jackson of Miami.
Each of these players project as fifth-round options who address depth at outside cornerback. Hartage is a tough tackler with a motor that never stops, but he lacks the speed and quick feet to be a complete player.
Bunting has the quick feet and attacks the ball at its highest point when he finds it, but he often gets caught staring at quarterbacks and getting beat on routes by receivers, and he relies too much on his hands when beaten.
Jackson is the best value as a late pick in this draft. He's a tough cornerback in man coverage and fights at every point of the route to redirect receivers. Watch how he gets in the hip pocket of this receiver so well that he's in perfect position to make the interception:
Each of the later players have their weaknesses in instincts that make them projects, but with several needs at other positions, the Steelers could afford to wait for their cornerback pick in 2019.
If Colbert and Tomlin want to create a secondary for the future, the elite talent will be there with the 20th pick. Even if both Murphy and Williams fly off the board, Baker would be an enticing option that could boost turnover numbers and pair with safety Terrell Edmunds to lead the secondary for years to come.
