Steelers Rookie Quietly Emerging As Electrifying Standout At OTAs

The Pittsburgh Steelers had a luxury of draft picks at their disposal during the 2026 NFL Draft. That luxury resulted in them adding 10 exciting rookies to their roster for the 2026 season. With Mike McCarthy entering his first year as head coach of the Steelers, there is plenty of optimism surrounding what the future of this organization could look like. Considering Pittsburgh has not experienced playoff success in over a decade, the urgency for McCarthy to get his tenure off to a strong start could not be higher.

One player who has not received a ton of hype is Georgia cornerback Daylen Everette. The Steelers used one of their three third-round picks to draft the Bulldogs prospect 85th overall. He fits the general prototype that GM Omar Khan has looked for in recent years, and so far during Organized Team Activities, Steeler Nation has heard several eye-opening reviews.

The Steelers’ cornerback position should be well-secured for the 2026 season and beyond, but you can never have too much depth in that room. That has been one of the biggest injury concerns for Pittsburgh, something Khan clearly prioritized during the 2026 offseason. Because of the talent already in the room, many fans have not paid much attention to Everette. Still, Steelers insider Gerry Dulac believes Steelers fans may be sleeping on the rookie cornerback.

"And among their 10 draft choices, the one who has attracted the biggest fan following so far might be guard Gennings Dunker. With his flowing red mullet, bushy mustache and tattoos, he is an offensive lineman cast right out of Hollywood. But the rookie who has stood out the most during Organized Team Activities is the other third-round choice, cornerback Daylen Everette from Georgia," Dulac said. "He has not received the acclaim of some of his other draftmates, but he has certainly looked the part of an NFL cornerback, right down to his size."

Dulac wanted to be careful not to overhype what he has seen during OTAs because there are still plenty of moving parts throughout the offseason. 

Still, the Steelers insider revealed that the rookie has already gone toe-to-toe with star wide receiver DK Metcalf and has even taken the ball away from the offense with multiple interceptions.

"That was apparent last week when he ran step for step down the sideline with DK Metcalf, reaching his arm in the air to bat away a deep pass from Aaron Rodgers," Dulac said. "He’s also intercepted two passes — OK, it doesn’t mean much in OTAs, but it at least shows an inclination to read routes and break on passes. The Steelers have taken notice."

Everette spoke to the media after his rep against Metcalf and said the coaches told him it was a tremendous play. During his career under Kirby Smart at Georgia, he started 41 of 55 games while totaling 107 tackles, 19 passes defended, two fumble recoveries, and two forced fumbles. That certainly sounds like a Steelers cornerback.

Steelers' Daylen Everette Making Serious Noise During OTAs

It is still extremely early in the offseason process, but Everette is already beginning to make his presence felt. For a rookie cornerback to earn praise while competing against players like Metcalf says a lot about the confidence the coaching staff already has in him. Pittsburgh clearly valued his toughness, physicality, and experience coming out of college, and those traits are starting to show up quickly during OTAs.

The Steelers may not need Everette to step into a massive role immediately, which could end up benefiting his development in the long run. Still, if he continues stacking strong practices together and creating turnovers, it would not be surprising to see his role grow faster than many originally expected heading into the 2026 season.