Steelers Now
On Saturday’s episode of The Standard, Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Omar Khan revealed that the team has high expectations for seventh-round corrnerback Donte Kent. They expect Kent to make an impact right from the get-go.
“Donte [Kent], we spent a significant amount of time studying his film, looking at his production — not only on the defensive side, but also on special teams,” Khan said. “And the more we watched him, the more excited we got about him. Solid character. Again, another guy who’s got a really good opportunity, and we expect him to contribute sooner rather than later.”
Kent is looking to make his mark with the team. At OTAs, he’s primarily played in the nickel.
“Most of my time is in the nickel right now,” Kent said. “I think I can play inside or outside, but I feel comfortable in (the nickel). We’ll see where it goes.”
The Steelers selected Kent with their second pick in the seventh round, No. 229 overall, in the 2025 NFL Draft. A four-year starter at Central Michigan and three-time All-MAC honoree, Kent brings intrigue as a developmental prospect with notable athletic traits.
Best known for his speed, Kent ran a 4.38-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine. He also made an impact in the return game, ranking fifth in the nation with an average of 13.5 yards per punt return. His quickness and agility made him particularly effective in man coverage, where he excelled at mirroring slot receivers.
In 53 career games at Central Michigan, Kent made 234 tackles (171 solo), 4.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sack, two interceptions, 47 pass breakups, 49 passes defended, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, and a blocked kick.
“I just have a dawg mentality,” Kent said about his ball-hawk traits. “That ball is my ball. My mindset is I’m going to go make a play on the football every pass thrown my way.”
Kent’s brother, Desmond, played at Robert Morris, while his other brother, Ronald, is in the Canadian Football League on the British Columbia Lions. Kent, who’s the youngest child on his mom’s side, credits his brothers for making him tougher.
“I’m the baby on my mom’s side. I have three older brothers. In my opinion, they all could play professional football. It just ain’t work out that way for everybody. It’s been a competitive household whether we’re playing Madden, playing football out on the street, wrestling in the house. Whatever we’re doing, it’s always been competitive. And me being the baby, they always picked on me a little bit. Nothing crazy but they picked on me. That built the toughness that I have right now and the competitive nature that I have, as well. All credit to my brothers.”
Kent also credits his time at Harrisburg (Pa.) High School for building his character.
“At Harrisburg, we breed dawgs. We breed dawgs still to this day. We’re breeding dawgs, and that just carried over when I got into college,” Kent said. “Playing at...
