3 top candidates to be Pittsburgh Steelers nickel cornerback in 2021

Arthur Maulet

Here’s an option for the Pittsburgh Steelers that might make a little more sense, but it still isn’t a perfect fit. Arthur Maulet is a veteran who has played his most recent football for the New York Jets – where he was listed as an outside cornerback and a strong safety at times.

Listed at 5’9” and 190 pounds on the team’s official website, Maulet has a similar size profile to Mike Hilton. However, there are many more questions here. Maulet has proven to be an excellent run defender from the secondary for much of his NFL career, but he has some major concerns in coverage. In fact, posted one of the worst coverage grades among all secondary players last season, according to Pro Football Focus.

For an undersized player who entered the league with just 4.62 speed and tested as a 29th percentile athlete, according to Relative Athletic Score, I have my reserves about Maulet in this position. I’m not doubting his physicality; I think that’s his best trait. However, he has never been a great coverage player since entering the league in 2017.

Maulet stands a great chance of sticking around thanks to his starting experience over the past two seasons with the Jets and his physical play style. However, I question whether or not he’s a good enough coverage guy to man the nickel cornerback position full-time. Still, he appears to be a legitimate option to do so, as he is listed just behind Brooks on the depth chart.