The Steelers' coaching staff has a lot of faith in Cam Sutton, so much so that the team chose to keep him over nickel corner Mike Hilton in free agency. Then, the team felt so comfortable with Sutton, it also was OK with releasing Steven Nelson in a cap-related move.
So, Sutton will hold down the spot opposite Joe Haden in the base defense, and the plan for now is to have him slide inside to the slot in the nickel and dime defenses with either 2019 third-round pick Justin Layne or former undrafted rookie James Pierre playing outside in those situations. Former Penn State corner Trevor Williams, who started 15 games in 2017 and seven in 2018 for the Chargers, was signed to the practice squad late in in the season and could be tried on the inside or outside, as well.
The backup plan in the slot could be free safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, who played well there as a rookie with the Dolphins in 2018, but that would leave the Steelers thin at free safety next to Terrell Edmunds. The team has backups Antoine Brooks and linebacker/safety Miles Killebrew, who was signed as a free agent, but both are more strong safeties than free.
Finding some pieces to add to that equation could be on the table for the Steelers in the NFL Draft, which will be held April 29 through May 1. And there will be a number of ways the Steelers could go.
The could add an outside corner to compete for a starting job opposite Haden and potentially replace the 32-year-old down the road. Or, they could draft a player capable of playing inside or outside. There also are a number of safeties who have the ability to play the slot, as well.
It just depends on what direction the team wishes to go. And it gives them plenty of options.
The cornerback class in this draft is deep, and it's headed by players with NFL bloodlines. Alabama's Patrick Surtain II is the son of the former NFL corner of the same name. He's the No. 1 cornerback in this class. The No. 2 corner, South Carolina's Jaycee Horn, is the son of longtime NFL wide receiver Joe Horn.
Those two have pulled ahead of Virginia Tech's Caleb Farley for the top two spots at the position. Farley opted out of playing in 2020 after a stellar sophomore season in 2019 in which he had 16 pass defenses and four interceptions. Then, he was forced to have surgery to repair a herniated disc in his back in March, keeping him from working out.
"Look no fault of his own," said NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah said, "but Caleb Farley ... he's one of the five best players in the draft. But any time you have any type of a procedure with your back, that's troublesome. That's one of the reasons why I think he could slip a little bit in the draft."
Farley is expected to be ready to return to the field by training camp, so he'll wind up being one of the wild cards in this draft. He likely won't get out of the first round, but where he goes in the first round will be interesting.
Also expected to go in the first round is Northwestern's Greg Newsome, while another former son of a former NFL player, Asante Samuel Jr., and Georgia's Tyson Campbell also will get first-round consideration.
Samuel (5-10, 181 pounds) might be ticketed for the slot at the NFL level, but he also can play outside. Washington's Elijah Molden might be the best pure slot cornerback in this draft and is expected to be a second-round pick, as is UCF's Aaron Robinson, another corner who could go in the second round.
Others in the middle rounds who have slot capabilities are Robert Rochell of Central Arkansas, Ambry Thomas of Michigan, Shakur Brown of Michigan State, Tre Brown of Oklahoma and Zech McPherson of Texas Tech.
The Steelers are unlikely to use an early pick on a safety with two young starters at the position in Fitzpatrick and Edmunds. But if they could find a safety who can play the slot while also serving as a backup to Fitzpatrick or Edmunds, that could be beneficial.
Oregon's Jevon Holland, UCF's Richie Grant and Indiana's Jamar Johnson, three of the top safeties in this class, all have played extensively in the slot and could line up there in the NFL.
Another interesting player in that role is TCU's Ar'Darius Washington. He played opposite Trevon Moehrig, the top-rated safety in the draft, but at 5-8, 176 pounds, he might be too small to play a safety spot in the NFL. And his 40-time of 4.61 seconds wasn't great for a player that size.
But his tape shows a player very much like Hilton, a former college safety himself who wasn't a burner but was a better football player than athletic tester. Washington had five interceptions as a redshirt freshman in 2019.
Shaun Wade of Ohio State, Cincinnati's James Wiggins and Caden Sterns of Texas are other mid-round safeties who also have experience lining up in the slot and could interest the Steelers.
Lolley's CB Rankings
1. Patrick Surtain II, Alabama
2. Jaycee Horn, South Carolina
3. Caleb Farley, Virginia Tech
4. Greg Newsome, Northwestern
5. Tyson Campbell, Georgia
6. Asante Samuel Jr., Florida State
7. Elijah Molden, Washington
8. Eric Stokes, Georgia
9. Paulson Adebo, Stanford
10. Ifeatu Melifonwu, Syracuse
Lolley's Safety Rankings
1. Trevon Moehrig, TCU
2. Jevon Holland, Oregon
3. Richie Grant, UCF
4. Andre Cisco, Syracuse
5. Hamsah Nasirildeen, Florida State
6. Jamar Johnson, Indiana
7. Ar’Darius Washington, TCU
8. Divine Deablo, Virginia Tech
9. Talanoa Hufanga, USC
10. Caden Sterns, Texas
Also See
Lolley's Defensive Line Rankings
Lolley's Edge Rusher Rankings
Lolley's Wide Receiver Rankings
Lolley's Quarterback Rankings