Steelers mock draft: Pittsburgh trades the farm to land their QB

Steelers round 2

I really wanted to land a safety here, as I recognize how big of a need having a capable strong safety is for this defense. Unfortunately, no one fell this way. I changed gear to a receiver, but no one was sticking out as an obvious fit. While a bit of a luxury, the name that made the most sense in the second round was Marcus Jones, the slot cornerback out of Houston.

Undersized and essentially a slot cornerback only, Jones has a lot of fun tape to watch. Despite not testing athletically at the combine, he was a shifty player when on the field and was a potent returner. On defense, he played a lot bigger than his listed size, as he was regularly a tone-setter for the Houston defense as he would make plays in coverage and deliver big hits.

While the return man element of his game is strong, the Steelers have a long history of not relying on defensive backs to return kicks. That does take some value away from him. That said, he is a dynamic defender that plays like his hair is on fire. He would be a more well-rounded slot cornerback if added to the defense. There has been a lot of interest in Jones so far, and he would make sense in the second round of this draft.