Steelers Now
The Pittsburgh Steelers met with one of their first prospects for the 2026 NFL Draft, interviewing Syracuse defensive back Darian “Duce” Chestnut at the Hula Bowl, according to a report by The Draft Network.
The Steelers met with Chestnut during practice for the Hula Bowl, which will be played this Saturday in DeLand, Florida, according to Justin Melo of TDN.
Chestnut met with nearly a dozen teams after a strong week of practice and was named one of his team’s captains.
The 23-year-old is a 6-foot, 200-pound cornerback from Camden, New Jersey. He got his collegiate career started at Syracuse in 2021, transferred to LSU in 2023 and then returned to Syracuse in 2024.
Over the course of his five-year college career, Chestnut played in 53 games, 49 of them at Syracuse. His most prolific statistical season was in 2024, when he racked up 36 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, one sack, give passes defended and an interception. This past season, he had 48 tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss and three passes defended.
Chestnut primarily played outside cornerback early in his career, but upon his return to Syracuse in 2024, moved to safety, where he stared each of the last two seasons. Chestnut could profile as a pure safety at the NFL level, or also a hybrid defensive back, depending on how he performs in athletic testing this spring.
Chestnut is currently perceived to be an undrafted free agent, the No. 782 player in the class according to NFL Mock Draft Database.
The Steelers have a need for future depth at the safety position, as Chuck Clark, Kyle Dugger and Jabrill Peppers are all playing on one-year contracts, and special teamer Miles Killebrew’s contract is set to expire, as well. Only Jalen Ramsey, DeShon Elliott and Sebastian Castro, an undrafted rookie from this spring, is under contract
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Steelers Have Pre-Draft Meeting with Hybrid Defensive Back
