Steelers scouting profile: Asante Samuel Jr. is a pass at 24

Samuel’s Projection

I’ll be honest, if I’m the Steelers I would shy away from Samuel in the first round even if there is an early run at cornerback. There is a lot to like about his game, but there are also quite a few question marks as well. Most importantly, I think his size is going to force him to be a predominantly slot cornerback. You could try him on the outside, but any sort of bigger receiver would present a mismatch.

For the Steelers, if I drafted Samuel, I would move Cameron Sutton to the outside full time. Samuels would become the primary slot option during his rookie year. That, along with his tape makes him a target at 55 as opposed to pick 24. While that may be a little lower than some project him, he isn’t worth the first-round pick given his physical limitations.

If he makes it to pick 55 and the Steelers don’t target a cornerback in the first round though, Samuel should very much be in play. Allow him to take on the slot role his rookie year, and if he really wants to, you can try to move to the outside next year after Joe Haden is off the team. That said, I think he is best suited to be a slot cornerback and will find the most consistent success there.

Samuel is a good prospect in terms of coverage ability, but unfortunately, his size will limit him at the NFL level. While he has the coverage ability and instincts to play on the outside, allowing him to be predominantly a slot corner should give him the best chance for success. I would avoid him in the first as of now, but if he makes it to pick 55, he would be a great fit to replace Mike Hilton in the slot.