The Pittsburgh Steelers are entering the off-season of 2021. With the free agency imminent followed by the NFL draft in April, the Steelers will have a plethora of decisions and moves to make before making their first selection. As the NFL combination will not be performed, professional days are the best option for obtaining player information. It will be interesting to see what limited information will end up being available regarding prospectus projects this year.
When talking about draft draft or free NFL agency, you must first identify the team’s main needs for the off-season. Before any gains or losses at the free agency, there are some who would like the Steelers to go with anyone offensive line or running back with your choice of the first round. Others feel tight end or Defender may be at the top of the list. With many chances for the Steelers to shape their squad before April, their goal is usually to get into position to select the best player available, rather than targeting a specific position. When it comes to which position the team will select with their first choice, it is certainly a topic of debate.
In the last simulated draft of two rounds of CBSSports, they put the Steelers in defense with their first choice and addressing the cornerback’s position before anything else. With both outside singers Joe Haden and Steven Nelson in the final year of their contract and set to have large pay cap numbers along with Mike Hilton and Cam Sutton set as free agents, Steelers may feel the need to add to the position at some point In the project. Obviously, the decisions between now and the draft will determine the need to add a cornerback more than anything. Since the Steelers could go in several directions with their first selection, it is important to look at all the possibilities presented by various simulation sketch establishments.
Check out the Steelers 24th choice:
24. Pittsburgh Steelers | Jaycee Horn | CB | South Carolina | JR |
At the beginning of the draft process, there may be some players that most fans are not familiar with. If that’s the case, here’s an analysis from Horn according to thedraftnetwork.com:
The son of four times Pro Bowl Wide receiver Joe Horn, South Carolina Gamecocks Cornerback Jaycee Horn enters the NFL after three seasons on the SEC, where he has shown consistent growth. After playing mostly on the slot machine in 2018, Horn played extensively in 2019 and 2020, where he projects best in the NFL. Horn has a long, squat structure that was built to compete with the X receivers in the NFL. His size, length and physicality appear on the roof where he is highly disturbing in the press and ultra-competitive at the meeting point. Horn’s concerns appear mainly as a tackler and off-man game cover. Unfortunately, Horn does not play in his weight class as a tackler and there are many tackles missing in the film. In addition, Horn may be guilty of guessing when mirroring the routes, leading to missteps, which is problematic given how segmented his transitions can be. If used correctly and with development, Horn can be a good start, especially if your ball skills continue to progress as in 2020.
Ideal Paper: Starting out of the corner
Fit Scheme: Coverage predominantly by zone and press with minimal implementation of external coverage.
For all of you who are preparing for the draft, what did you think of the selection? Would you be on board with the Steelers taking Horn with your first choice? Or do you think there is a better player in this position or a different one that may still be available? Personally, I am like most Steelers fans who hesitate to take a cornerback with their main pick based on their history in recent years. In many of the simulated drafts I’ve seen, Horn is off the board somewhere between choices 10 and 16, so if the Steelers got a big score out of 24, I wouldn’t object. He marks a lot of boxes because he is only 20 years old and his father played in the NFL. I hope the Steelers are sure of a few things in the off-season cornerback position and that it will not become a necessary position in 2021.
As always, let us know your opinion in the comments section below and remember that these simulated drafts are merely speculation and have sparked discussion among the fan base.