Without Alexander vs. Steelers, It’s Valentine’s Day

Valentine made a lot of plays against the Rams with three pass breakups. That’s 37.5 percent of his targets being swatted away, seventh-best in Week 9.

“It’s addictive, and you want to do it again,” Valentine said. “The feeling feels good, so it’s like you don’t want to lose that feeling.”

Valentine got a few starts earlier in the season when Alexander was out with a back injury. Now, following the trade of Douglas, Valentine is a solidified starter.

Does it help with the preparation knowing that he’s going to be a starter this week and next week and the following week?

“I don’t even know if I’m going to be the guy week to week,” Valentine said. “That’s just the mindset that I take every day because anything can happen. Everybody’s gunning for your spot and that just keeps a competitive edge. That’s how I feel.”

He’ll need that edge on Sunday. While Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett has struggled, Pickens and Diontae Johnson form a formidable tandem of receivers.

Meanwhile, the overall physicality of the Steelers will put Valentine to the test. In the passing game, almost 54 percent of the Steelers’ passing yards have come after the catch. That’s the fifth-highest in the league.

“I loved how he went out there and competed, challenged,” coach Matt LaFleur said this week. “You could see it really on the first third-down, he’s getting his hands on guys. I just thought he was playing very competitive football. He was throwing his frame in the fire, so to speak, when he needed to, and was a willing tackler. That’s important at that position, especially with some of these teams that try to get the ball on the perimeter, and you need that corner support.”

Every team makes draft mistakes. That’s the nature of the business. Getting a steal at a premium position can be a lifesaver.

Could that be Valentine? In this year’s draft, 36 cornerbacks were selected. That includes eight in the seventh round. Valentine’s three passes defensed against the Rams are more than the other seven have combined for their entire season.

As the 232nd selection in the draft, the odds of a player being released are stronger than a player emerging as a starter. Indeed, of the 26 picks that followed Valentine this year, exactly half haven’t seen the field this season. Over the last decade, the Packers swung and missed with cornerbacks Demetri Goodson and Ka'dar Hollman in the sixth round, for instance.

Valentine, on the other hand, looks like a legit starter rather than a starter-by-default.

“I don’t feel like anything’s surprised me because I worked hard for this,” he said. “Everyone’s path is different. My path is different from someone else’s path. I feel like the work that I put in and I’m going to continue to put in is a representation of what’s going on now.”