Winner: James Pierre
Easily the biggest winner of the Steelers draft, James Pierre is on quite the developmental track right now. He was an undrafted free agent last year who was signed with little fanfare. He impressed in a really limited training camp and did enough to make the roster outright, an impressive feat with no preseason to really show out during.
Now, he has seemingly jumped a former third-round pick in Justin Layne and is geared to start as the outside cornerback in sub-packages. This is huge for him, as the opportunity to go from undrafted to starting in a year is amazing. With all of the departures in free agency, the team seemed poised to draft either an outside or slot capable corner to add to the depleted room.
Instead, the team settled for a seventh-round safety and a slew of undrafted free agents. This means Pierre has the best shot at taking on a starting role next season as he is relatively unopposed as a starter right now. The team clearly likes what they saw in Pierre, and the lack of defensive backs in the draft confirmed that.
While the draft did its best to fill some holes, it also left the team with quite a few winners and losers. Some positions got stronger, others weaker, and some players have been seemingly entrusted with starting. In time, we will see just how important the winners and losers end up being.