6 young Steelers you have to keep an eye on in training camp

Steelers Shakur Brown

Easily one of the most exciting undrafted rookies that the Steelers have added in years, Shakur Brown enters camp with a clear path to the roster. With the departure of Mike Hilton in the slot, the team is in need of a new cornerback to man the slot role, and Brown is a perfect fit. While the initial depth chart listed him as an outside cornerback, don’t be confused here. Brown played the slot in college (he played it rather well in fact), and that is the position he is naturally best suited for.

Brown fell out of the draft mainly due to him being an underclassman mixed in with just how poorly he tested at Michigan St. That said, the slot corner doesn’t need to be an elite athlete, as instincts and physicality. Brown has both of those, making him a natural Hilton replacement. Add in a strong showing at OTAs and Brown has had about as good of an offseason so far that an undrafted rookie can have.

Make sure to temper expectations here, as Brown going from undrafted to starting slot corner by week one is a stretch. That said, he could rotate in eventually and develop into that role as the season progresses. Watch for his name to come up in camp early as he looks to be an impact player sooner than later and prove to the rest of the league that they were wrong to let him go undrafted.