5 young Steelers players who must take a big leap forward in 2021

CB Justin Layne

Despite Justin Layne being an even more highly-touted player than Diontae Johnson entering the 2019 NFL Draft, we have seen far less out of the young cornerback. Layne had all the upside you could ask for. He turned just 21 years old a few months before the draft, and his physical traits are excellent. We knew the former Michigan State cornerback was going to be raw, but we didn’t expect this.

Yes, there is a stigma attached to the Steelers when it comes to drafting cornerbacks. They just haven’t been very good at it. I hated the Artie Burns pick at the time, and I was scratching my head when they took Senquez Golson back in 2015. I thought Justin Layne would be different. The good thing is that there is still hope.

Layne started his collegiate career as a wide receiver and quickly made the switch to cornerback. He hasn’t been playing the position long and there is reason to believe he could improve. At 6’2” with 33” arms and an 80” wingspan, cornerbacks like Layne don’t come around every day.

With both Steven Nelson and Mike Hilton gone, Layne is expected to step into a bigger role. Many fans are really high on former undrafted rookie, James Pierre, but he has just 27 career defensive snaps under his belt and those expectations might be unfair. Of the two cornerbacks, Layne has substantially more athletic upside, so I would like to see him take a big step forward in 2021.