The Pittsburgh Steelers came out of the 2023 NFL Draft with one of the best classes in the league. It was hard to say that they went in the wrong direction with any of their selections, nailing needs and value at every turn. General manager Omar Khan even showed some aggressiveness moving up and down the draft board masterfully.
Pittsburgh, knowing that the New York Jets were targeting an offensive tackle at No. 15, made a trade with the New England Patriots, who owned the No. 14 pick. The Steelers nabbed Broderick Jones out of Georgia and all it cost them was a fourth-round pick.
They recouped that fourth-round pick on Day 2 when they traded down in Round 3 and came away with another Georgia product, tight end Darnell Washington. On Day 3, the Steelers had only three selections but they still found players with some upside.
One player to keep an eye on is defensive back Cory Trice. The Purdue product was selected in the seventh round, No. 241 overall, but he has a chance to make an impact right away. Given his tackling ability, he could find a role on special teams out of the gate while getting in on defense in sub packages.
After playing cornerback with the Boilermakers, there is a chance that Trice is moved to safety in the NFL. The move would make sense, as his strength in coverage is playing against receivers in front of him, which would occur more often from the safety spot. Also, his play against the run could be better suited from there compared to cornerback.
That is what makes his pro comparison such a fitting one. Trice’s comparison is Antrel Rolle, who also began his career as a cornerback before transitioning to the safety position. Rolle found a lot of success playing both positions, but it was as a free safety when he made his three Pro Bowls and helped the New York Giants win a Super Bowl.
Trice is even bigger than Rolle was, so transitioning to safety shouldn’t be an issue in that regard. Given some of his shortcomings in coverage as a corner, transitioning to safety, or being used as a hybrid defender given his ability against the run, could better suit him at the next level.
Versatility is never a bad thing and Trice has that in droves. If he can have success playing different roles, the Steelers have found quite a valuable player near the end of the 2023 NFL Draft.
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