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.
Samuel’s Pros
Watching Samuel in man coverage is a lot of fun. He plays physical at the line of scrimmage as well as having the awareness to play off coverage as well. While he looks smaller on tape, he certainly throws himself at receivers when tasked with playing press. At the NFL level, there would be a concern given the fact that receivers are bigger, but you have to give him credit for not simply backing off given his smaller size.
As well, Samuel can be a feisty tackler. While there was some tape of him lazily running to the ball, there were quite a few solid tackles/tackle attempts that show off his physical side. Against Georgia Tech and North Carolina specifically, I saw numerous times that Samuel threw himself in attempting to make a tackle. While his technique needs some improvement, seeing him being so willing to try and tackle is a good sign for him.
Samuel didn’t play on a great Florida St. team, but he was one of the few key bright spots on the defense. He was tasked with shutting down some of the top opposing receivers, and more often than not, quarterbacks would target other defenders over him. Samuel made them pay when they targeted him though, as he had a knack for making some impressive interceptions. Overall, Samuel has the ability and instincts to be a starter in the NFL.
Samuel’s Cons
Unfortunately, most of Samuel’s issues come from his lack of size. Against bigger receivers, Samuel can get bullied and taken out of the play. While he has the skill to play on the outside, I think his size will limit him to the inside predominantly. While most defenses rely heavily on their slot cornerbacks, the outside options are the more valuable ones. The skill is there for it, but mismatches against bigger receivers could make teams pay for keeping him there.
While he is willing to chip in and tackle, his size once again limits him there. He struggles to get off blocks in space and is overly reliant at just flinging himself at opposing ball carriers in hopes of connecting with them and bringing them down. He can wrap up smaller guys, but he isn’t someone that is going to stop a power back in space by wrapping him up.
Finally, while he tested as a great athlete, Samuel never seemed to be flying around the field. While his straight-line speed was evident on his interception returns, his coverage speed wasn’t as evident. While he certainly isn’t slow, I don’t think you see his timed 4.41 speed on every play for the defense.
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.