The Pittsburgh Steelers filled most of their major roster holes in free agency, which should give general manager Omar Khan plenty of flexibility in the 2026 NFL Draft. It feels likely the Steelers will target either a wide receiver or the offensive line with their first-round pick. On Day 2, however, we expect Khan to address the cornerback position.
And the biggest potential Day 2 steal already looks painfully obvious.
D'Angelo Ponds is one of the best (and arguably most underrated) defensive backs in the 2026 class. The Indiana product has graded out exceptionally well in three straight seasons before declaring for the draft early after his junior season.
Ponds combines impressive ball skills (seven interceptions in three years) with exceptional athletic traits. The shifty cornerback posted a blazing 4.31 40-yard dash at his Indiana Pro day after posting an outstanding 43 1/2'' vertical jump at the 2026 NFL Combine.
The best part is that Ponds has remarkable agility and fluidity as a cornerback. And when you combine this with an innate instinct and an incredible feel for the game, you get a player who screams 'first-round talent'.
There's just one problem: Ponds is small.
At 5'8 5/8'' and 182 pounds with 29 3/8'' arms, Ponds' height and length put him in just the 2nd percentile among all NFL cornerbacks who have measured in at the Combine since 1999. But this is the only reason the Steelers have a shot to land the premier defender on Day 2 of the draft.
The Pittsburgh Steelers should consider trading up for D'Angelo Ponds on Day 2 of the NFL Draft
There's no guarantee that Ponds is even available at the start of Day 2. On a recent episode of the Stacking The Box Podcast, I made a bold prediction that Ponds would be a late first-round pick. It's a long shot, but the talent is there for a team to swing on him in the back half of Round 1.
If he falls to Day 2, the Steelers should be looking for ways to move up.
Ponds not only has the most impressive tape of any cornerback in the 2026 draft class, but he might also be the best athlete of the group. While zone coverage is his forte, he's an exceptional tackler—size limitations and all.
The fear is that, because of his severe lack of size, Ponds will have to constantly be in the perfect position to make plays on the football at the next level. However, the undersized CB was routinely in perfect position in the Big Ten, and there's nothing on film that suggests he can't stay in the hip pocket of bigger, faster receivers at the next level.
If Ponds were two inches taller, he might be considered a lock to be a top-10 pick in the draft. His small frame is the only reason the Steelers might have a chance to steal the talented cornerback on Day 2.
But even with his lack of size, Ponds is too talented to fall to pick No. 53 in the NFL Draft. If the Pittsburgh Steelers want a chance at landing a first-round talent and the potential steal of the draft, they might need to move up 10-15 spots on Day 2.