4 long shots who could make Pittsburgh Steelers roster in 2021

CB Mark Gilbert

There are no doubt plenty of Steelers fans who have never even heard this name before. Mark Gilbert was signed by Pittsburgh following the 2021 NFL Draft, and this signing has been overshadowed by former Michigan State cornerback, Shakur Brown, landing on the roster as an undrafted free agent. However, Gilbert probably has more upside of the two.

Gilbert has had terrible injury luck during his time at Duke. In his second college season back in 2017, the cornerback looked like a rising star – recording a whopping 6 interceptions and 15 pass defenses in 13 games. However, Gilbert played in a total of just 4 games over the next 3 seasons and has dealt with some pretty serious injuries.

Now healthy, the once spectacular sophomore will look to fly under the radar in an effort to crack Pittsburgh’s final roster in 2021. At over 6’0” and 186, Gilbert has 4.48 speed and is a good overall athlete. With the lack of depth at the position after the team lost both Mike Hilton and Steven Nelson this offseason, Gilbert has a decent chance at making the roster this year.

There are other players outside of this list who will have a chance to emerge as long-shot candidates to make the roster, but these four could each have a chance if the situation is right. It will be interesting to see how they perform in training camp this year.