Steelers mock draft: Pittsburgh takes a balanced approach in 2022

Steelers mock draft round 4: CB Akayleb Evans

I know how much Steelers fans dread spending draft capital on a cornerback, as the team truly has been atrocious when it comes to finding talent here in April. However, that doesn’t mean they can just give up on it altogether — especially when CB is such a big need for this team.

At the moment, Pittsburgh has just Cameron Sutton, James Pierre, Justin Layne, and Isaiah Johnson under contract for 2022, but I really don’t feel comfortable with any of these players in full-time roles. As good as Sutton was in 2020, he had a down year when asked to play on the outside in 2021 and I think he needs to move back to a sub-package role.

The Steelers would be wise to lock up Ahkello Witherspoon to a contract extension after the impressive play we saw from him down the stretch, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Pittsburgh spend good money on a CB in free agency this year.

Still, they are going to need depth with upside to become a contributor down the line, and both Pierre and Layne have proven nothing so far. Akayleb Evans might not be a perfect scheme fit as the team likely looks to play more man coverage, but he’s 6’2” and 198 pounds with the traits to develop into a quality player at the next level if all goes well.