Steelers Surprising Trade Could Create Opportunity for Former Hawkeye Defensive Star

At Iowa, Castro was a menace in Phil Parker’s defense. In his Hawkeye career, he picked up 163 tackles, 14 for a loss with two sacks, forced five fumbles, and racked up 14 pass deflections and four picks, one of which he returned for a touchdown. 

While some Steelers fans are excited at the thought of Castro becoming the next Troy Polamalu in Pittsburgh, therein lies the problem. Like the Steel City legend, Castro is a strong safety, a defensive back who lines up closer to the line of scrimmage. Fitzpatrick was not. He roamed the deep middle third and worked to make sure explosive runs didn’t turn into touchdowns.

Ultimately, Castro wasn’t behind Fitzpatrick on the depth chart, former Cleveland Brown Juan Thornhill was. There’s also a likely possibility that the newly acquired Jalen Ramsey takes over that free safety role as he turns 31 this October. Instead, Castro is behind DeShon Elliott and Miles Killebrew at strong safety.

Truth be told, Castro isn’t a lock to make the Steelers' final 53-man roster, though Fitzpatrick’s departure does give him some breathing room for the time being. Should Castro make the roster, he’ll have to prove his worth on special teams. Of course, he’ll have three games in the preseason to make a name for himself on defense, so those reps could determine his early potential in Pittsburgh.

Still, Castro showed tremendous tenacity at Iowa. If that translates to the NFL, it might just be a matter of time before Hawkeye fans get to see the Iowa product making a name for himself on the field while wearing those familiar colors.