Top 12 Sleepers for Steelers heading into the 2023 NFL Draft
By Andrew Falce
1. Kyu Blu Kelly, CB, Stanford
The cornerback class is one of the deepest positional groups in the draft. While I fully expect the team to address the position early but if they opt to hold off and wait until later in the draft, Kyu Blu Kelly makes a lot of sense for the team. From his bloodlines to his profile to his ability as a man coverage defender, he fits the mold of what the team should want in an outside cornerback.
The son of former pro cornerback Brian Kelly, who enjoyed 11 seasons in the NFL and was coached by Mike Tomlin for a spell, his son looks like he can also enjoy a long NFL career. He has the build you want in an outside cornerback, has good ball skills, and does a great job in man coverage.
He lacks the elite size of the top prospects and isn’t an elite athlete, but Kelly looks like a developmental number two cornerback. Getting that kind of player on day three would be great. Kelly can work his way into a starting role and get mentored by Patrick Peterson. He doesn’t have top-level potential, but he seems like a safe bet to be a good starter for a defense like the Steelers.
Next. Ranking every Steelers first-round draft pick of the Mike Tomlin era. dark
While landing top prospects that make an instant is important early, the Steelers need to build out their roster with mid and late-round picks. This draft has a lot of meat in the middle rounds. These twelve names in particular make sense as potential steals for the Steelers during this draft class.