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Welcome to the pre-draft season! Leading up to Pittsburgh Steelers 2022 NFL Draft coverage starting on April 28th, we will be releasing draft profiles of prospects who could potentially see themselves on the Steelers. Next up…
OVERVIEW:
In recent history, the Steelers’ Achilles Heel has been their secondary. Not only have they not featured a ‘top-tier’ backend pass defense, but they haven’t had much success drafting defensive backs as well. But with that, they can’t be gun-shy this go-around in replenishing the depth chart at the cornerback position. It seems to be a common conscientious around Steeler Nation and several analysts that the Steelers are looking to draft a cornerback in this year’s NFL Draft; it is simply a matter of when. But with the re-signing of Ahkello Witherspoon and free agent signing of Levi Wallace, this leaves more pressing needs in the earlier rounds. These include the likes of quarterback, safety, and maybe wide receiver depending on which side of the aisle you stand. Consequently, the Steelers will most likely be looking at cornerback prospects after the middle of the second day of the draft. Who would land in the Steelers’ lap at that point? Who is one of the most under-the-radar cornerbacks landing in the second day? Welcome to the conversation, Coby Bryant.
PROS:
First, Bryant plays on the outside, not inside or slot, which is where the Steelers need help. He thrives in zone coverage schemes, which is what the Steelers run. He has above-average ball skills and is able to position himself mid-route to make a play on the ball. He’s able to read the top of receivers’ routes and pin himself to their hip to lock them down. He was an interception-machine in college and racked up 10 interceptions through his span of four seasons.
Bryant is also an incredible competitor. He doesn’t shy away from top talent and welcomes challenges on offense. He doesn’t shy away from coverage and is able to diagnose run plays and screen plays and collapse on the line to wrap up the ball carrier. He’s mentally tough, which is a nice asset for a rookie to have to keep his head in the game and operate on a play-by-play basis. He is an intellectual sponge in the locker room and is committed to perfecting his craft. Bryant has the necessary commitment, football IQ, and athleticism that makes him very intriguing for NFL teams.
Steelers’ Prospect Coby Bryant Makes Tackle (University of Cincinnati Athletics)
CONS:
Playing opposite of top-10 prospect Sauce Gardner in college, Bryant isn’t considered an instant starter, let alone a true ‘lock down’ cornerback. Although he has the right framework, Bryant doesn’t readily possess the ideal size and wingspan for an NFL cornerback and will need to bulk up to adapt to the next level. He tends to get lost and beat on deep routes, so he’ll need safety help over the top in order to be effective. The reason why Bryant is so successful in zone coverage schemes is because he has trouble in press coverage and knocking receivers off their routes at the line.
On that same note, Bryant has trouble in his lateral movement and keeping up with receivers running across the field. Therefore, with Bryant being more effective in zone coverage, this is going to leave a lot of underneath passes open and Bryant seems to be hesitant in breaking at the right time of crossing routes. This shows he’s pretty limited in what he’s able to do on the field and will play into his ceiling projection. Bryant is not going to be drafted to become an immediate key-contributor in the secondary.
Photo / Cincinnati Equirer
DRAFT PROJECTION: 3rd Round
This year’s draft features a uniquely-deep cornerback class, so you could argue there is significant value at almost every round at the position. With Gardner getting the majority of the attention of the Cincinnati defensive prospects, Bryant has seemingly gotten lost in the shuffle in earlier-rounds consideration. This is a bit odd to see, as Bryant was awarded the Jim Thorpe Award in 2021 as the nation’s top cornerback.
As a side note, the fact we are considering a prospect who was considered the best in the nation at his position in 2021 in the third-round speaks volumes as to the depth of this year’s cornerback class.
There have been some reports indicating Bryant as more of a second-round selection, he may fall to later in the second day, simply due to other deeper skill position players getting more attention in the first 75 selection spots.
VERDICT:
For the Steelers, Bryant would fit in well in the secondary. Let’s think about the current state of the secondary; Bryant wouldn’t be thrown into a starting position early on, he’d learn from proven veterans playing ahead of him, and he’d have the necessary safety help in Minkah Fitzpatrick to support him over the top of the defense. In terms of where the cornerback position falls on the Steelers’ priority list, I consider it the same as wide receiver given the depth of each respective class this year. The Steelers would be fine landing a cornerback or receiver in the third-round or later. But I know what you’re probably thinking; the last time the Steelers used a third-round pick on a cornerback was on Justin Layne in 2019. Although Layne has been a decent contributor on special teams, I consider Bryant as a potentially better version of Layne on defense. Layne seems to have plateaued early on and Bryant could take over as a reliable CB2 role on the depth chart.
Where do you see Bryant going in April? Would you want to see him in the black and gold? Let us know in the comment section below!
#SteelerNation
Support SteelerNation by clicking here to read the story..
Coby Bryant (Cornerback), University of Cincinnati, Senior
OVERVIEW:
In recent history, the Steelers’ Achilles Heel has been their secondary. Not only have they not featured a ‘top-tier’ backend pass defense, but they haven’t had much success drafting defensive backs as well. But with that, they can’t be gun-shy this go-around in replenishing the depth chart at the cornerback position. It seems to be a common conscientious around Steeler Nation and several analysts that the Steelers are looking to draft a cornerback in this year’s NFL Draft; it is simply a matter of when. But with the re-signing of Ahkello Witherspoon and free agent signing of Levi Wallace, this leaves more pressing needs in the earlier rounds. These include the likes of quarterback, safety, and maybe wide receiver depending on which side of the aisle you stand. Consequently, the Steelers will most likely be looking at cornerback prospects after the middle of the second day of the draft. Who would land in the Steelers’ lap at that point? Who is one of the most under-the-radar cornerbacks landing in the second day? Welcome to the conversation, Coby Bryant.
Could Steelers Select Desmond Ridder?
PROS:
First, Bryant plays on the outside, not inside or slot, which is where the Steelers need help. He thrives in zone coverage schemes, which is what the Steelers run. He has above-average ball skills and is able to position himself mid-route to make a play on the ball. He’s able to read the top of receivers’ routes and pin himself to their hip to lock them down. He was an interception-machine in college and racked up 10 interceptions through his span of four seasons.
Bryant is also an incredible competitor. He doesn’t shy away from top talent and welcomes challenges on offense. He doesn’t shy away from coverage and is able to diagnose run plays and screen plays and collapse on the line to wrap up the ball carrier. He’s mentally tough, which is a nice asset for a rookie to have to keep his head in the game and operate on a play-by-play basis. He is an intellectual sponge in the locker room and is committed to perfecting his craft. Bryant has the necessary commitment, football IQ, and athleticism that makes him very intriguing for NFL teams.
Steelers’ Prospect Coby Bryant Makes Tackle (University of Cincinnati Athletics)
CONS:
Playing opposite of top-10 prospect Sauce Gardner in college, Bryant isn’t considered an instant starter, let alone a true ‘lock down’ cornerback. Although he has the right framework, Bryant doesn’t readily possess the ideal size and wingspan for an NFL cornerback and will need to bulk up to adapt to the next level. He tends to get lost and beat on deep routes, so he’ll need safety help over the top in order to be effective. The reason why Bryant is so successful in zone coverage schemes is because he has trouble in press coverage and knocking receivers off their routes at the line.
On that same note, Bryant has trouble in his lateral movement and keeping up with receivers running across the field. Therefore, with Bryant being more effective in zone coverage, this is going to leave a lot of underneath passes open and Bryant seems to be hesitant in breaking at the right time of crossing routes. This shows he’s pretty limited in what he’s able to do on the field and will play into his ceiling projection. Bryant is not going to be drafted to become an immediate key-contributor in the secondary.
Photo / Cincinnati Equirer
DRAFT PROJECTION: 3rd Round
This year’s draft features a uniquely-deep cornerback class, so you could argue there is significant value at almost every round at the position. With Gardner getting the majority of the attention of the Cincinnati defensive prospects, Bryant has seemingly gotten lost in the shuffle in earlier-rounds consideration. This is a bit odd to see, as Bryant was awarded the Jim Thorpe Award in 2021 as the nation’s top cornerback.
As a side note, the fact we are considering a prospect who was considered the best in the nation at his position in 2021 in the third-round speaks volumes as to the depth of this year’s cornerback class.
There have been some reports indicating Bryant as more of a second-round selection, he may fall to later in the second day, simply due to other deeper skill position players getting more attention in the first 75 selection spots.
VERDICT:
For the Steelers, Bryant would fit in well in the secondary. Let’s think about the current state of the secondary; Bryant wouldn’t be thrown into a starting position early on, he’d learn from proven veterans playing ahead of him, and he’d have the necessary safety help in Minkah Fitzpatrick to support him over the top of the defense. In terms of where the cornerback position falls on the Steelers’ priority list, I consider it the same as wide receiver given the depth of each respective class this year. The Steelers would be fine landing a cornerback or receiver in the third-round or later. But I know what you’re probably thinking; the last time the Steelers used a third-round pick on a cornerback was on Justin Layne in 2019. Although Layne has been a decent contributor on special teams, I consider Bryant as a potentially better version of Layne on defense. Layne seems to have plateaued early on and Bryant could take over as a reliable CB2 role on the depth chart.
Where do you see Bryant going in April? Would you want to see him in the black and gold? Let us know in the comment section below!
#SteelerNation
Support SteelerNation by clicking here to read the story..
