Pittsburgh Steelers: Sidney Jones Could be an Option
The Pittsburgh Steelers are looking for defensive back help at some point in the NFL Draft, and an injured corner could be the answer.
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One option for Pittsburgh would be Sidney Jones, the projected first round corner out of Washington who injured himself during Washington’s Pro Day. After tearing his achilles tendon, Jones took a major blow in draft stock. Now, while some teams are debating whether he’s still worth an early pick, Pittsburgh is hoping he falls.
Where Jones now stands in the draft is a mystery. First, all the details of the achilles will need to be released, and teams will have to evaluate the situation and recovery process. From there, each team will place Jones where they believe he’s worth in the draft.
The Steelers are looking for a secondary option, but how early is still unknown. The Pittsburgh Steelers Mock Draft 2.0 says they could be looking for a corner as soon as the second round.
With the 62nd pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, Pittsburgh will choose between two options. Either a quarterback or a cornerback will be headed to the Steel City in the second round. If Jones is still sitting there, the Steelers could pick him, but they may still decide to wait.
Jones’ injury could push him further than the first two rounds. There are plenty of cornerbacks in this draft class. All of which could easily go to in the first round or at least be considered first round talent. Although Jone was highly ranked within them, his injury keeps him a question mark.
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The Washington stars still believes he’s the best choice out there, telling USA Today, “I’m the best corner in the draft, plain and simple.” But with the talent in this draft class, one injury could drop your name completely off teams’ lists.
Artie Burns and Ross Cockrell exceeded expectations last season and secured themselves as the starters for this beginning of this year. With the hopeful return of Senquez Golson, Pittsburgh is looking for a backup for Burns and Cockrell, but in a player talented enough to potentially compete for the starting role.
Jones could very well be a future superstar in the NFL. The 6’0 corner was a ballhawk in college, finishing with nine interceptions and defending 21.3% of the balls thrown his direction last season. A cornerback who’s instincts make him a ball magnet with ungodly ability to jump routes and rip balls away from receivers.
Pittsburgh would love to have the option of picking Jones as a potential second or third round pick. Granted there are no standout quarterbacks, the Washington product may be who the team has their eye on as a risk and reward pick.
There is room to grow for Jones, which makes his rehabilitation even more favorable and appealing to the Steelers. While they develop Burns, Golson and Cockrell, Jones will be building his game and working to get back to the field.
Once healthy, Jones would make this cornerback core a deep unit. Burns, Cockrell, Golson, Jones and William Gay combine with Coty Sensabaugh as a low depth chart player is a dangerous young group.
Add Jones to Pittsburgh, and they finally become an elite group of players. They’re missing an x-factor and hoping Burns could be the answer. But if they have two in Burns and Jones and Cockrell and Golson to add to the talent, this Pittsburgh secondary becomes a legit cornerback squad.
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Don’t be surprised if the Steelers find Jones sitting in the second round and take a chance on him. If he drops even lower, definitely look for Pittsburgh to be the team taking a chance on this former first round cornerback.