5 Steelers who dodged a bullet with Pittsburgh’s draft results
By Tommy Jaggi
Steelers CB Justin Layne
As a former third-round pick back in 2019, Justin Layne has had plenty of opportunities to prove his worth. Sadly, he just hasn’t been very good. That being said, Layne still holds value to the Steelers for his ability as a special teams gunner.
However, Pittsburgh didn’t draft him in the third round just to play this role. They took a chance on a long, athletic, developmental cornerback and it hasn’t worked out as planned. Now entering his fourth NFL season, Lanye easily could have been a player kicked off the roster in favor of newer, fresher talent.
Free agency didn’t necessarily hurt Layne’s chances either. Ahkello Witherspoon was already on the roster, so that didn’t change his status much, and the team essentially swapped Joe Haden’s role for Levi Wallace.
I certainly don’t see a route for Layne to compete for a starting gig with the Steelers this year (especially after how little he has shown during his first three seasons). However, his path to the roster becomes much more clear after Pittsburgh’s 2022 draft results.