Steelers Mock Draft: Pittsburgh triples down on the trenches early

Steelers mock draft round 4: Khyree Jackson, CB, Oregon

If Khyree Jackson had more quality experience as a starter past his one year, then he would be in the first-round conversation. His length is off the charts and will get plenty of NFL teams interested. Again, the biggest concern about taking Jackson will be betting that his one year of starting at a top school will carry over to the next level.

The Steelers decide to bank on his upside here as they could have other options on the team to challenge for the opposite starting spot of Joey Porter Jr. Patrick Peterson could be a cap casualty, but Tomlin will likely want to keep him for leadership and position flexibility. Rumor has it Pittsburgh will try and bring back Levi Wallace, which should make fans squirm.

Cory Trice Jr. will be back after missing his entire rookie campaign due to an injury that he suffered in training camp. He has a long-ranging injury history so he cannot be counted on. Jackson is someone who could potentially slide into the starting lineup if needed. Or perhaps he will get the Porter treatment and be brought along slowly like last year.

Jackson is a prospect where you are betting on his upside prevailing. He has tremendous size that will be one of his best traits. He produced at a high level in 2023 for Oregon after transferring over from Alabama. He had a strong Senior Bowl after a short injury setback earlier in the week. If he continues to test well then, he could enter the day two conversation come draft time.