Of the five cornerbacks who dressed for the 2023 season opener, four no longer play for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
That makes Joey Porter Jr., with all of 11 career starts, the longest-tenured Steelers player at his position as the organization prepares for the NFL Draft.
Patrick Peterson was released and is unemployed. The Steelers made little attempt to bring back Levi Wallace, who was out of work until this week when he got a one-year deal from Denver. They were the starters in the 30-7 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the opener.
Nickel corner Chandon Sullivan remains on the free-agent market, and backup James Pierre, who played primarily on special teams, signed with Washington.
The Steelers traded for veteran Donte Jackson to start alongside Porter, and they have two others on the roster: 2023 rookies Cory Trice and Darius Rush. Trice, however, is coming off an ACL injury that caused him to miss the entire season, and Rush appeared in just three games.
Given the amount of turnover and lack of numbers in the position room, it’s not surprising the Steelers invited seven corner prospects to UPMC Rooney Sports Complex over the past month.
The Steelers hold four picks among the top 98, including two in the third round. Even if they don’t address cornerback on the first two days, the position is deep enough that analysts expect value to be found in the later rounds.
“Depth at corner is one of the strengths of this draft,” former New York Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum said.
NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah has seven cornerbacks ranked in his overall top 50, and he is projecting 14 or 15 to be selected in the first three rounds.
“There are a lot in that second-round and third-round range,” Jeremiah said. “I think a good number of those are going to be nickels. In terms of guys that can play outside with the versatility to move inside, I think there will be good options there, too.”
The Steelers haven’t used a first-round pick on cornerback since taking Artie Burns with the No. 25 overall pick in 2016. Porter was taken with the first pick of the second round last year and blossomed into a member of the NFL’s all-rookie team.
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Among the cornerbacks invited to the South Side in the top-30 visit process, two carry first-round grades: Clemson’s Nate Wiggins and Iowa’s Cooper DeJean. Jeremiah has DeJean listed as his No. 25 overall prospect and Wiggins at No. 31, meaning they likely will be available when the Steelers pick at No. 20.
“Wiggins is one I’m curious about,” Jeremiah said. “Keep an eye on him. He is big and ultra, ultra fast — a really fluid kid.”
Carrying just 173 pounds on his 6-foot-1 frame, Wiggins ran the 40-yard dash in 4.28 seconds at the NFL Combine, the second-fastest time recorded this year.
“If you’re big and you can run at corner, I’m in,” ESPN analyst Field Yates said.
DeJean has the type of size — he is 6-0, 203 pounds — that could lead to a move to safety. He was a two-year starter at Iowa and the Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year in 2023.
“I think he can play anywhere,” Jeremiah said. “That’s one of the things I love about him. You are drafting a big-time athlete who has just got … he has football instincts. He has ball skills.”
Rutgers corner Max Melton, who has a second-round grade, also visited with the Steelers. At 5-11, 187 pounds, his future in the NFL could be in the slot. A three-year starter, Melton had eight career interceptions and he was adept at blocking kicks.
Another second-day possibility is Kentucky’s Andru Phillips, who is 5-11, 190. He started 16 games the past two seasons. Three players with local ties also conducted visits with the Steelers: Penn State’s Daequan Hardy of Penn Hills, Pitt’s M.J. Devonshire of Aliquippa and West Virginia’s Beanie Bishop.
ESPN has Hardy ranked as the No. 24 corner in the class, followed by Devonshire at No. 26 and Bishop at No. 30.
“There are a lot of slots and undersized perimeter corners that can be found in rounds 4 or 5,” Yates said. “It’s a good group.”
Joe Rutter is a TribLive reporter who has covered the Pittsburgh Steelers since the 2016 season. A graduate of Greensburg Salem High School and Point Park, he is in his fifth decade covering sports for the Trib. He can be reached at jrutter@triblive.com.