Steelers Now
The Pittsburgh Steelers didn’t quite get what they’d hoped from their cornerbacks last year.
In a mock draft dreamed up by Daft on Draft’s Cory Kinnan, the Steelers attempt to improve their defensive backfield. With the No. 21 overall pick, they take East Carolina’s Shavon Revel Jr. They add to their receiving room in the second round, taking Stanford wideout Elic Ayomanor.
Revel played in the Pirates’ initial three games this past season before tearing his ACL in practice. He declared for the draft in November, finishing his East Carolina career with 70 combined tackles and three interceptions.
“The Steelers have a type in cornerbacks: long and tall who isn’t afraid to bump and run on the outside,” Kinnan wrote Thursday. “Joey Porter Jr. took a step back this season but is still a part of their plans. They need to get him a running mate though and make a significant upgrade to that room.”
Revel is the third cornerback taken in Kinnan’s draft. Colorado’s Travis Hunter goes No. 3 to the New York Giants and Michigan’s Will Johnson lands in Indianapolis at No. 14.
Kinnan also has Cleveland adding Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders with the No. 2 overall pick. Missouri’s Luther Burden III and Ohio State’s Emeka Egbuka have been linked to the Steelers in other mock scenarios. The receivers are taken off the board early in Kinnan’s order. Burden goes to New Orleans at No. 9 and Egbuka to San Francisco two picks later.
With that being the case, the Steelers pass on Texas ‘ Matthew Golden (Buffalo, No. 30) and take Ayomanor with the No. 53 choice.
Bleacher Report NFL Draft scout Dame Parson wrote that Ayomanor “projects as a good number two Z-receiver for an NFL offense. He is alignment-versatile and makes plays from the slot with a two-way release. Adding his play strength, he will give smaller nickel defenders fits in man coverage by boxing them out for in-breaking passes.”
Ayomanor notched 63 grabs for 831 yards and six touchdowns this past season.
