3 remaining holes Pittsburgh Steelers must fill on Day 3 of 2023 NFL Draft

1. Steelers must target Slot Defender

During the break between Day 1 and Day 2, many expected the Steelers to select Alabama safety Brian Branch with the #32 overall pick. As he continued to fall in Round 2, he was another popular selection at #49 overall. Even though the Steelers now have Joey Porter Jr. at outside corner and multiple versatile safeties, getting slot-specific defensive back could be in the cards for Day 3.

With Mike Hilton and Cam Sutton manning the slot, the Steelers rarely had to worry about that position. But with Cam Sutton playing outside more often, players like Arthur Maulet struggled to keep up. Pittsburgh has some versatility at safety with Minkah Fitzpatrick, Damontae Kazee, and Keanu Neal. But they could use a young player to develop as a slot defender.

Given the depth at safety on the team already and the lack of a true slot-coverage cornerback, expect Pittsburgh to look at some of the smaller cornerbacks available on Day 3. There are plenty available who have inside-outside experience in college but will have to move to the slot at the NFL level.

Possible Targets: Clark Phillips, Tre'Vius Hodges-Tomlinson, Jakorian Bennett