Steelers roster: 4 young players on the outside looking in
By Tommy Jaggi
CB Shakur Brown
Shakur Brown is a player who many thought would be a mid-round draft choice in 2021. But that was before his atrocious athletic testing at his Michigan State Pro Day. At just 5’9 3’4”, Brown ran an embarrassingly slow 4.64 40-yard dash and sub-par 9’8” board jump. What’s perhaps most concerning is that his 1.65 10-yard split ranks in the 3rd percentile among NFL cornerbacks, according to Mockdraftable.
If we are just looking at the tape and production. Brown should not have gone undrafted, as the Michigan product managed 5 interceptions before declaring early for the NFL Draft.
During training camp, Brown has flashed at times, but his path to the roster is far from easy, and he’s currently sitting outside of my final cut. Though Brown can be a backup nickel defender for the Steelers, he can’t play on the outside with a lack of size and athleticism.
Though the Steelers lost Steven Nelson and Mike Hilton, other young cornerbacks have been more impressive. I’d venture a guess as to say that Joe Haden, Cameron Sutton, James Pierre, Antoine Brooks, and Justin Layne are roster locks this year. That means there could be just one remaining spot between the impressive Mark Gilbert, the veteran Arthur Maulet, and Shakur Brown. Brown’s chances aren’t looking great at the moment.