5 rookies that the Steelers regret passing on in 2020 draft

Jordan Fuller

The Steelers had some serious depth issues at safety ahead of the 2020 NFL draft, as neither free nor strong safety had anyone that could comfortably fill in if a starter went down. The team ignored the position until the sixth round though, when they took box safety Antoine Brooks Jr. While the rookie started the season on the practice squad, he has finally seen the field, playing 28 snaps on defense a few weeks ago. That said, the Steelers should have taken the safety who went a pick later, current Rams starter Jordan Fuller.

Now, to be fair, Fuller and Brooks are two different players in the secondary. Brooks is more of a traditional in-the-box safety, and there is potential that he makes a move to linebacker at some point given his size and coverage limitations. Fuller is coverage based, playing better further from the line as either a free or strong safety. While both would have helped depth, Fuller has been the far superior player so far this season. He more or less has started since day one, and he has impressed in all of his outings.

As of now, Fuller has only allowed one receiving touchdown, and he is only allowing a quarterback rating of 75.6. Those kinds of numbers from a late-round pick are incredible, as are the two interceptions he has recorded. He is proving to be a ballhawk early in his career, and he has a bright future in this league. While Brooks may develop into a capable box safety or even linebacker at some point, missing out on Fuller seems like the wrong pick so far.