The Pittsburgh Steelers clearly had a plan heading into the 2023 free agency period. First-year general manager Omar Khan and assistant GM Andy Weidl were relatively quiet on the first day of the tampering period, but have made four significant signings from outside the organization over the past four days. They let veteran free agent corner Cam Sutton walk and signed future Hall of Fame corner Patrick Peterson to replace him. The Steelers also totally revamped the inside linebacker room by inking Cole Holcomb and Elandon Roberts. These moves have shown the Steelers' hand in what their plans are regarding the 2023 NFL Draft.
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The Pittsburgh Steelers have inked Vikings CB Patrick Peterson to a two-year contract
Letting Sutton walk and signing a soon-to-be 33-year-old Peterson shows the Steelers will be in the market for a rookie corner early in the draft. They are following an eerily familiar pattern as they did in 2022 when they signed veteran quarterback Mitch Trubisky prior to the draft before they selected Kenny Pickett in the first round. It appears they wanted to add a significant veteran presence in the corner room before adding a youngster to the mix in the early round.
There are many viable rookie corner options for the Steelers to target and they are likely to have their pick of some of the top prospects at selections 17 and 32. The Steelers have lacked success in drafting corners high in the draft, but have seen success in developing corners from later rounds and undrafted free agents. The Steelers developed former slot corner Mike Hilton into one of the top nickel corners in the league and have seen success with James Pierre in the same light. They also helped Sutton turn into one of the top outside corners in the league and were unable to retain his services during free agency this year.
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Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Cam Sutton
The addition of a significant and proven veteran such as Peterson must be seen as a plan to help a rookie corner develop over the next two seasons. With perennial All-Pro safety Minkah Fitzpatrick on the back end of the secondary, the Steelers are doing everything in their power to ensure their top pick this year will be successful. With 5-7 corners likely to be taken in the first round, the Steelers will have their choice of at least 3-4 corners that would warrant the 17th overall selection. If the Steelers are unable to find their guy with pick 17, then there are multiple late first-round options that will likely slip to them at pick 32 as well.
Even though there is uncertainty about who they will select with their first overall selection, there's no mystery about what position they will be targeting. With Peterson in the fold now, it's clear they don't have a long-term answer at corner on their roster. Levi Wallace and Akhello Witherspoon would be penciled in to start across from Peterson if the season started today, but both are set to be free agents next offseason and neither has played well enough to believe they are in the Steelers' long-term plans.
Photo Credit John McGonigal / Pittsburgh Post Gazette
Steelers pick Kenny Pickett
The Steelers have a short window to build this team and get things right while they have a franchise quarterback with a rookie contract. They have done a great job in building a foundation on offense for Pickett to succeed, but they must be successful in the next couple of drafts to acquire NFL-ready guys that can make a difference right away. The time of allowing a first-round pick a season to get their feet wet is behind us and their first-round pick this year must be ready to play from day one.
Who do yinz think the Steelers will take with pick 17? Sound off in the comments below!
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