Steelers mock draft: A final look at what Pittsburgh could do in the NFL Draft

Steelers mock draft round 2: CB Cam Smith, South Carolina

Cam Smith doesn’t have as many indicators of a potential Steelers pick, but he still makes a lot of sense. A great 2021 season had many viewing Smith as the top cornerback in this class, but he came back to earth this past season. That said, he has the frame of an outside cornerback and tested well as an athlete.

Smith is an aggressive coverage player. He isn’t afraid to get physical at the catch point and either break up the pass or come down with the interception. Add in his frame and athleticism and you should have a viable outside cornerback.

Add in his physicality as a run defender and a blitzer and you also have an intriguing slot cornerback. It wasn’t a role that he often played in school, but it is something I can see him excelling at once in the pros.

The Steelers haven’t shown the most interest in Smith, but they have done some research around him with fellow South Carolina cornerback Darius Rush coming in for a visit. The team is usually blunt with who they want to draft, but occasionally they play the draft game and throw some smoke around, and I think they could be doing the same with Smith. JuJu Smith-Schuster also had little fanfare with the team before coming to the roster.

Smith has some of the best tape in the class from 2021, but his 2022 tape was a lot more average. The talent is there, and I think Smith could become one of the better cornerbacks in this class with the versatility to play inside and outside. While I have a suspicion that the Steelers are going to move back from this pick, Smith could be a sneaky candidate for pick 32.

Others considered: NT Mazi Smith, DE Bryan Bresee, OT Anton Harrison