Trends Steelers should expect with Andy Weidl in charge of the draft board

5. Weidl may keep defensive backs off the Steelers board

One of the running gags of the Kevin Colbert draft room was his lack of ability to draft and develop defensive backs, especially later in his career. From 2010 and on, this team failed to find a capable safety or cornerback in the draft. While Cameron Sutton has become a good player and Terrell Edmunds has been a serviceable player, this team lacked much success with taking secondary players.

There is a lot of clamoring for the Steelers to address cornerback early given the need there. Unfortunately, it seems as though Weidl isn’t a fan of targeting defensive backs early or often in drafts. Since 2019, he has selected three total defensive backs and only one natural cornerback.

It wasn’t like the Eagles didn’t have needs there. They just opted to fill them by other means. One of the Eagles' biggest needs last year was defensive back, as the only returning player was Darius Slay (a former trade target by Philadelphia). Instead of prioritizing the position, the Eagles went without a selection in the secondary.

Instead, they added a slew of undrafted free agents and added some veterans after the draft via free agency and by trade. While Weidl wasn’t a part of the Eagles defense that just made it to the Super Bowl, he was instrumental in constructing it. They didn’t seem to lack secondary play despite not having a lot of draft capital at the position.

While Weidl isn’t in charge of choosing the Steelers draft picks, I have to wonder where he will rank some of the top cornerbacks in comparison to other positions. For those expecting a top defensive back early, I wouldn’t get my hopes up. If Weidl has it his way, any secondary addition likely won’t be made until day three of the draft.