Steelers mock draft round 2: Kamari Lassiter, CB, Georgia
While Georgia has been on a roll with churning out top-level offensive and defensive linemen in recent years, their record at cornerback has been more hit-and-miss. Kamari Lassiter is the next in line to try and churn out a solid career, and he certainly looks the part on tape of a potential top cornerback in the league.
I will say that he doesn’t fit the mold of what the Steelers have seemed to want at cornerback under this new regime. He doesn’t have the alien-like build of a Joey Porter or Cory Trice, but even though he is a little under 6 feet tall, he can still play on the outside. He is an aggressive defender that is sticky to a receiver and makes any catch hard.
He is also a good player in run support and is more than willing to lay out anyone with a big hit. He can struggle against bigger receivers, as he lacks the size and length to properly press them. That said, can recover if beaten off the line to contest the catch. He doesn’t make a lot of big plays, but he is a steady defender that plays hard every snap.
While the lack of splash and elite speed will likely prevent him from ever being a top cornerback, he seems like a more than capable second option who can do his part to shut down offenses. If he really struggles on the outside, he could also eventually move into the slot given his physicality. I’m personally not banging the table for an outside cornerback early, but it is one of the bigger perceived needs.