With the NFL Draft quickly approaching, cornerback is one of the positions that the Pittsburgh Steelers are still looking to address. A year after taking two long cornerbacks in Joey Porter Jr. and Cory Trice, the Steelers are interested in another long and lengthy cornerback prospect. According to multiple reports, the Steelers met with Syracuse’s Isaiah Johnson after his Pro Day workout.
Johnson, a 6-foot-3, 205-pound prospect, played in various roles within the Syracuse secondary the past two seasons after transferring from Dartmouth. In two seasons at the Division 1 level, Johnson amassed 115 total tackles, nine passes defended, and two interceptions. After this past season, Johnson received an invite to the East-West Shrine Bowl and to the 2024 NFL Combine.
At the Combine, Johnson posted a 4.64 40-yard dash, a 38.5-inch vertical, a 10-foot-9 broad jump, and a 1.55 10-yard split. While his 40-yard dash came in a bit slower than Porter’s from a year ago, the rest of the testing results compared quite well. Last year, Porter had a 35-inch vertical, 1.5-second 10-yard split, and an identical broad jump.
While Johnson views himself as a cornerback, he has received feedback at both cornerback and at safety from NFL teams this offseason and went onto say that he is willing to play either position at the next level.
“I personally see myself as a cornerback, but like you noted, I’ve played some safety as well. I’ve been versatile,” Johnson told Justin Melo of The Draft Network. “I’m just a football player at the end of the day. It’s a topic that’s been brought up throughout my team meetings. I’m telling teams the same thing I’m telling you right now. I’ll play wherever they need me to play. I’m willing to step into that role. I definitely feel like I can make a successful transition to safety. I can learn the position while performing at a high level. My prior experience with the position would help me acclimate.”
After his Pro Day, Johnson stated that he met with the Detroit Lions and the Tennessee Titans, in addition to his meeting with the Steelers. He also added that he met with Cardinals, Bills, and Cowboys virtually.
While the Steelers have pre-draft visits with six other cornerback prospects, with Johnson’s size and background, the Steelers could take a late-round flyer on him like they did with Trice in last year’s draft.
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