Pittsburgh In the inaugural Mel Kiper Jr. mock draft of the season, the Pittsburgh Steelers select a running companion for Joey Porter Jr. The ESPN analyst suggests using this year’s 20th pick to select another elite defender in order to address the need for assistance at cornerback.
Kiper predicts that the Steelers will choose Georgia cornerback Kamari Lassiter in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, making him the fourth cornerback selected in the first 20 selections.
“Sure, the Steelers hit on cornerback Joey Porter Jr. with the top pick of Round 2 a year ago, but this is a defence that saw 33-year-old corner Patrick Peterson play more than 1,000 snaps, so there’s room for an injection of youth at the position,” writes Kiper. “Despite having just one career interception—that came back in 2021—Lassiter became a lockdown corner for the Bulldogs in 2023. Even yet, as the closest defender in coverage, he gave up nine receptions for 91 yards, and none of those passes resulted in touchdowns. He and Porter may be a formidable team.”
Lassiter had 86 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, a sack, 14 passes defended, and one interception at the end of his college career.
With 63 passes completed against him this season, Porter cemented his position as the team’s best cornerback, allowing 47.6% completion percentage. He matched up with the best wide receiver on the other team for the entire season, and he might still do so in the upcoming campaign.
Following the season, Porter’s head coach Mike Tomlin stated, “I’m really excited about the trajectory of his career.” “His mentality is perhaps what makes him where he is most outstanding. He’s looking for a battle. He desires the demanding coverage. That’s one way he’s very competitive. And it’s a fantastic base from which to grow. He clearly has growth ahead of him, but that’s really good.”
Along with talents like Minkah Fitzpatrick, T.J. Watt, and Alex Highsmith, Pittsburgh may have their cornerback combo for the foreseeable future with Lassiter joining the group.
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