3 Steelers cornerbacks will see bigger roles in 2021 without Nelson, Hilton

James Pierre

I was shocked to see that James Pierre had surpassed Layne on the depth chart late in the season. The former Florida Atlantic cornerback was an undrafted free agent in Layne’s draft class in 2019, but by the end of his first season on an NFL roster with the Steelers, he was clearly starting to earn the trust of the coaching staff.

While Pierre has a solid frame at 6’0” and 183 pounds, he did not test well at all at the NFL Combine two years ago – running a 4.59 in the 40-yard dash and jumping just 33.5”. In addition, his 3-cone drill tested in just the 25th percentile among NFL cornerbacks, according to Mockdraftable.

While it remains to be seen as to what type of role Pierre will play with the Steelers in 2021, things were looking very encouraging for him by the end of last season. Because of his natural feel for the game, it’s entirely possible that he could get the nod in Cameron Sutton’s old role as the dime defender or even in the slot – depending on what the Steelers have planned for Sutton now that Hilton and Nelson will both be gone.

At this point, we can almost be certain that the Steelers will look to add cornerback help in the NFL Draft this year, and there are already a few players they seem to be eyeing at this position. As of now, however, all three of these Steelers cornerbacks seem to be in line for added work in 2021.