After Week 1 of the preseason, the Pittsburgh Steelers have more than enough reasons to get excited about their rookie class (and that's with first-round pick Max Iheanachor not even seeing the field). Fans went berserk over Drew Allar's impressive debut.
One rookie who stood out was cornerback Daylen Everette. Unfortunately, it was not just for good reasons.
Everette, one of three Steelers third-round picks and the 85th overall selection in the 2026 NFL Draft, did some great things in his preseason debut against the Packers. The big cornerback showed impressive closing speed and was credited with two defensive stops. The Georgia product also only allowed two yards after the catch and didn't miss a tackle.
But one flaw that NFL scouts pointed out prior to the draft had already shown up in his first exhibition game with the Steelers: reacting and locating the ball in coverage.
Pittsburgh Steelers CB Daylen Everette must improve his feel for coverage if he wants to see the field in 2026
On 18 coverage snaps against the Packers, Everette allowed two receptions on three targets for 23 yards. On one play, Everette got turned around deep down the field, and had the pass from quarterback Kyle McCord been on target, he may have surrendered a 70-yard touchdown to wide receiver J. Michael Sturdivant.
Because of this, Everette earned just a 48.2 coverage grade from Pro Football Focus in Week 1 of the preseason ($). Despite his strong run defense and tackling, Everette's 52.3 overall PFF grade was third-worst of any defender on the team.
Leading up to the draft, NFL.com's Lance Zierlein had concerns about Everette's coverage chops:
"Everette appears to lack make-up speed and sudden acceleration from transitions, so when he gets behind, he tends to stay behind. He’s willing in run support but is more of a drag-down tackler. Everette’s traits are differentiators, but he might lack stickiness against NFL quickness and speed," Zierlein wrote in his scouting report.
Similarly, NFL Draft analyst Todd McShay of the Ringer noted Everette's struggles in coverage in his scouting report:
"He gives receivers too much of a cushion, struggles to recover from bad angles, and can give up chunk yards after the catch. He needs to improve his ability to track and adjust to the deep ball."
Everette proved at the NFL Combine that it wasn't technically a speed concern, as the CB ran a blazing 4.38 40-yard dash. Rather, his reaction time seems to be a bit slow, and he doesn't have sudden-reaction skills.
There's a reason a 21-year-old, 6'1 1/4'', 196-pound Georgia cornerback with 32'' arms and 4.38 speed fell to the middle of the third round—teams were concerned about his coverage chops.
Still only 22, Everette needs to improve his feel for coverages if he wants to carve out a role in the defensive backfield rotation in 2026. His debut performance with the Steelers was hardly all bad, but he's got to prove over the next two games that he can be counted on when targeted in the passing game.
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