Coming into the offseason, the Pittsburgh Steelers defensive player most under-the-radar may have been this cornerback.
The third-year corner wasn’t a superstar for the Steelers last season, but he did take on some of the biggest names in the NFL. As well as he played, everyone seemed to forget about Ross Cockrell when talking about the impact players this defense has coming into the 2017 season.
Well, according to Pro Football Focus, Cockrell is the Steelers’ secret weapon due to his incredible stats from 2016.
"A fourth-round pick by the Buffalo Bills in 2014, Cockrell didn’t make it in Buffalo before playing 1,953 snaps for the Steelers over the past two seasons and starting all 2016. He didn’t record an interception in 2016, but did break up 10 passes and allowed just two scores over 93 total targets including the playoffs. Cockrell has size and range, and didn’t allow a reception longer than 37 yards all season, despite facing some elite receivers."
It’s hard to believe that in a secondary as bad as the Steelers had last season, that one player stood out this much. Everyone seemed to focus on Artie Burns coming up with three interceptions in his rookie year, which left Cockrell in the shadows for the most of the season/offseason.
While he certainly wasn’t the biggest name in Pittsburgh, Cockrell did match up with some of the more elite wideouts last year. According to PFF, he shut these superstar receivers down without ever bringing attention to himself, ranking No. 15 in the NFL out of 117 eligible cornerbacks in yards allowed per coverage snap, allowing just .87 yards per snap.
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Honestly, this all comes as a total surprise. While Cockrell certainly wasn’t a terrible member of the defense, he wasn’t putting up crazy numbers in the playmaking statistic. Usually, when cornerbacks are making a ton of plays, they’re causing turnovers, but Cockrell seemed to dominate without making headline plays.
This season, he’s looking to be a major contributor in a much more developed defense. With Artie Burns and Sean Davis getting a year under their belts, and the additions of Cameron Sutton and Senquez Golson, this Pittsburgh secondary should be one of the best in the AFC.
If Cockrell continues to dominate this season, he could be the lead man in turning this defense into something special. Although he and Burns will likely split time taking on opposing top receivers, he’ll still get plenty of chances to shut down NFL studs.
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Cockrell certainly wasn’t the name most people were expecting to be the Steelers’ 2017 secret weapon. But as long as he’s continuing to put up numbers like he did last year, he can carry this team all he wants.