The Steelers’ biggest need on defense is easily cornerback, and Samuel from Florida St. checks a lot of the boxes the team looks for.
After the Steelers cut Steven Nelson, it launched cornerback into one of the team’s top needs. While there are some questions with Asante Samuel Jr. as a top cornerback prospect, he is clearly worthy to be considered in that second wave of draft prospects getting talked about. The fact that he is young, athletic, and has some strong NFL bloodlines should be intriguing to the Steelers as well. Here is a scouting profile for Samuel for this upcoming draft.
Metrics
5’10, 180 lbs.
2020 stats: 30 tackles and 3 interceptions
Tape studied: Georgia Tech, Pittsburgh, North Carolina
Samuel continued to add to his reputation as a solid cover corner despite the COVID impacted season he was a part of in 2020. While he only played in eight games, he looked the part of a physical cover corner. Add in his physical tendencies and you suddenly have a complete cornerback. Considering the hole at corner due to Nelson’s departure, Samuel would make a good deal of sense to fill in.
While he tested as a plus athlete, his size is going to be pretty concerning. 5’10 isn’t the absolute end of the world, although his lack of height is noticeable in film, his 180 pounds is light for a corner as well. Long-term, this could lead to some injuries and missed time that reduces his value. As well, despite playing on the outside mostly, his size may force him to move inside. The Steelers could use him there, but his size makes him less likely to be a first-round pick.