The Steelers say they have nothing against cornerbacks, even though their track record might indicate otherwise.
This will be the 17th draft that general manager Kevin Colbert oversees for them. He has yet to draft a cornerback in the first round, although many believe that will change Thursday night in Chicago.
“Where we’ve chosen those guys was more reflective on who was available at that point,” Colbert said Monday at his annual predraft news conference with coach Mike Tomlin. “I can’t say we intentionally ignored that position. It just happened to break that way.”
The Steelers have not drafted a cornerback in the first round since Chad Scott in 1997, the third corner drafted by them in the first round in 11 years (Deon Figures, 1993; Rod Woodson, 1987). Since then, they have drafted three in the second round with spotty results — Ricardo Colclough in 2004, Bryant McFadden in 2005 and Senquez Golson a year ago.
The need for cornerbacks and safeties in this draft seems more urgent than ever for the Steelers. They lost two of their top three corners in free agency, cut Cortez Allen and did not re-sign starting safety Will Allen, who remains a free agent.
They return just two starters in that secondary, veterans Mike Mitchell at safety and William Gay at cornerback. Other than backup cornerback Ross Cockrell, there is little or no experience elsewhere.
Two cornerbacks chosen in the 2015 draft virtually did not play — Golson missed the season after shoulder surgery, and fourth-rounder Doran Grant was cut then rejoined the team and made it in for one defensive play.
The Steelers ranked as the third-worst pass defense in the NFL in 2015, allowing 271.9 yards per game. That might not be all on their secondary, but it’s a secondary with obvious holes that are not apparent in their front seven.
“The holes are in the eye of the beholder,” Colbert said. “In the secondary, in my eyes we have some good players back there. We have some good players in the secondary. We want to enhance it. We want to add more good players. … This draft will give us the opportunity at some point.”
Tomlin promised that “We’ll put a capable secondary on the field. I’m not overly concerned about that. … We’re excited about the group we’re putting together and their ability to perform.”
As he does annually, Colbert said they lean toward the higher-rated players on their draft board when they pick, but that their team’s needs at certain positions can come into play, as long as they do not overreach for a player whose value is not there.
“If it’s close, and there’s a quarterback or a safety or a corner, of course we’ll take the safety or corner in our given situation, as our team is today. That, to me, is common sense. It’s a common rule in our draft room.
“But again, if we take a second-round corner in the first round, then we should expect a second-round corner and not a first-rounder.”
Quick hits
• Veteran quarterback Bruce Gradkowski worked out for the team recently and seemed fine physically, Colbert said. Gradkowski had surgery on his thumb and right shoulder. Colbert said the Steelers will wait until after the draft to decide whether to sign a veteran quarterback.
• Colbert declared they are not likely to trade to go higher than 25th in the first round, but he did make assurances that “we’re going to get a good player at 25. There will be several players we’ll be very satisfied with at 25.” He felt they do not have enough draft picks to use as collateral to move higher via trade from No. 25 but will be open to trades to move lower.
• The Steelers had interviewed 120 prospects at the various offseason venues, and Colbert re-emphasized that the best and most talent in this draft lies on defense. “The whole defense is strong especially up front and in the secondary,” he said.
• Some mock drafts have the Steelers taking a nose tackle. Colbert noted that they played without one 75 percent of the time on defense in 2015, so “the nose tackle’s importance probably has diminished, probably just from a sheer numbers standpoint. He just won’t see the field as often as he had in the past.”
Ed Bouchette: ebouchette@post-gazette.com and Twitter @EdBouchette.
First Published: April 25, 2016, 5:21 p.m.
Updated: April 25, 2016, 10:03 p.m.
