Why Justin Layne may not be the answer at cornerback for Steelers

Daniel Rymer recently wrote an article praising Steelers rookie cornerback, Justin Layne. However, here’s why I’m not buying it.

I have made it clear that I am not as big of a fan of the Steelers draft as a lot of the outside media, and that situation stands with my view on Daniel Rymer’s article ‘Justin Layne can be the answer to Pittsburgh’s outside cornerback problem.’

This article uses Pro Football Focus’s grading scale to say that Justin Layne is great in coverage. Rymer said, “Layne has earned an elite coverage grade of 91 when lined up as an outside corner.” He went further to make it sound like this was the corner that is going to change the Steelers luck with outside corners. Rymer also goes on to add that he is great containing big plays. This all makes it seem like the Steelers just drafted the heir to Joe Haden. As Lee Corso would say, ‘not so fast my friend.’

Justin Layne may have earned a good grade in coverage with Pro Football Focus, but he did not earn a good grade with me. I saw on tape a corner who played soft coverage. He was more of a ‘tackle the catch’ corner in my opinion. He was not locking down Big Ten, number one receivers, he was containing them. I generally think Pro Football Focus does a good job with their grading system, but this grade I disagree with.

Justin Layne is not much different from the corners they have drafted in the past. The Steelers like these third round corners with good instincts in zone and can help you in run support. Does that sound like anyone you know? He sounds like Anthony Madison, Deshea Townsend and William Gay to me.

Those are also examples of Steelers cornerbacks who have done better than average in Pittsburgh. This Justin Layne pick is the corner pick of the Steelers we have come to know in the Cowher and Tomlin era.

The fact that Rymer says (and I am paraphrasing) that Justin Layne is good at containing is somewhat true, but also misleading. I agree that Justin Layne is the type of corner who will contain receivers. If you need a corner to tackle the catch then Layne is your man. Rymer frames it as something he can do on top of locking down receivers and that is what I have a problem with.

If you want another early to mid round corner who fits the Steelers scheme, then you got your man. But this pick is not going to improve the Steelers outside corner coverage problem that they have had in the Cowher and Tomlin eras.

Rymer believes Justin Layne is someone who will change the trend in Pittsburgh, and that is something that I don’t agree with. I want a lock-down corner, not someone who opens up his hips too early and plays the soft zone.