Steelers mock draft: Pittsburgh fills in the gaps after free agency frenzy

Steelers mock draft round 2(via CHI): CB Julius Brents

No player has been more frequently mocked to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round than Penn State CB Joey Porter Jr. But what happens if the Steelers miss out on the first wave of cornerbacks or elect to go with an offensive tackle?

Clearly, this is a position that still needs to be addressed early in the NFL Draft. Pittsburgh lost Cameron Sutton in free agency and replaced him with a soon-to-be 33-year-old Patrick Peterson. Outside of their newest cornerback, a group consisting of Ahkello Witherspoon, Levi Wallace, and Arthur Maulet seems rather unspectacular.

The mean age of a Steelers cornerback will be 29 years old by training camp if nothing changes. Though this team has failed in the past when addressing the position, it's too valuable to stop trying in today's passing league -- especially with their scary depth situation. Julius Brents could help.

Brents has outstanding upside due to his elite athletic traits and fantastic size/length combination. He's a much better player than many fans realize as well. Brents has a chance to be this year's Tariq Woolen -- who is coming off a remarkable rookie season with the Seahawks. He could instantly compete for the CB2 role with Witherspoon and Wallace in Pittsburgh before solidifying himself as a starter early in his career.