Steelers Mock Draft: Steelers build for future playoff success

Steelers mock draft round 7: Donte Kent, CB, Central Michigan

I purposely neglected the cornerback room in this draft, as I am willing to take a risk with the players on the roster holding their own. Joey Porter is locked into a starting role, and ideally, this team gets a better slot option on the roster. From there, they have another outside opening, and I would love to see what Darius Rush or Cory Trice can do there.

To round out this draft though, I do land a cornerback for this team. Donte Kent doesn’t have the freakish size this team has coveted in recent years, but he plays with a lot of feistiness. He has plus coverage abilities and has shown the ability to blitz out of his cornerback spot.

While he mostly played outside in school, I think he could shift to more of a slot role as a pro. There, his physicality can shine and he can still use his coverage skills on passing downs. Mostly ignoring cornerback is a risk, but I’m willing to take it given the makeup of this roster.

The Steelers have a lot of needs this offseason, and while this draft doesn’t address all of them, it sets up the foundation for the future. The line should be a better unit while the defense gets some more pieces to work with. Long-term, I think this sets up the team for success.