3 winners at Steelers training camp ahead of preseason game vs. Eagles
By Tommy Jaggi
CB Mark Gilbert
Every year, there seems to be one player who completely comes out of nowhere to impress the Steelers. Last year, it was cornerback James Pierre. This season, it might just be cornerback Mark Gilbert.
During his college days at Duke, Gilbert was thoroughly impressive – earning a whopping 6 interceptions during his sophomore season. However, injuries soon derailed his promising career and draft status. From 2018 to 2020, Gilbert played in just 4 games, according to Sports Reference.
Now finally healthy, Gilbert looks to make his mark as an undrafted player with the Steelers. So far, I love what I am seeing. The athletic cornerback is quick to diagnose and break on the ball – often resulting in interrupting the passing lane (we saw this a few times in his first preseason game against the Cowboys).
Because the Steelers lost both Mike Hilton and Steven Nelson this offseason, there are at least one (if not two) spots up for grabs in the secondary. With the way Mark Gilbert is playing, one of those will soon belong to him.