Steelers Projected to Reunite Duo to Bring ‘New Lockdown Era’

The Pittsburgh Steelers have drafted one Penn State cornerback in their history. But that fact didn’t stop CBS Sports’ Chris Trapasso from predicting the Steelers to target a Penn State cornerback for the second straight draft class.

In his latest mock draft on January 3, Trapasso projected the Steelers to select Penn State cornerback Kalen King at No. 18 overall in the first round.

“It’s a Penn State reunion in the Steelers secondary,” Trapasso wrote. “Joey Porter Jr. and King usher in a new, lockdown era at cornerback in Pittsburgh.”

King and Joey Porter Jr. played at Penn State together during the 2021 and 2022 seasons.

The Steelers selected Porter at No. 33 overall in the second round of the 2023 NFL draft.

How Penn State CB Kalen King Could Fit With the Steelers

Porter solidified one of the corner spots during the second half of this season for the Steelers. According to Pro Football Focus, Porter has struggled a little the past three weeks, but he’s still the top rated Steelers cornerback this season, based on the PFF player grades.

Fellow defensive back Patrick Peterson has posted a similar PFF player grade to Porter this season. But Peterson has suggested a couple times over the past month that he could move to safety to extend his career.

Peterson has played more safety the last couple games with the Steelers struggling with depth. That has moved previously-benched veteran Levi Wallace back into a prominent cornerback role.

While he played well in Week 17, Wallace has posted the worst PFF player grade of his career. He’s also a free agent this offseason.

The Steelers have some promising young cornerbacks Darius Rush and Cory Trice on the roster. But Rush and Trice are both inexperienced, so if the Steelers are serious about moving Peterson to safety on a permanent basis, then they could use another young cornerback to grow with Porter.

King is the most obvious fit since he played with Porter at Penn State. King posted 29 total tackles, including 1.5 for loss and 2 pass defenses in 12 games with the Nittany Lions this past season.

In 34 career college games, he had 25 pass defenses and 3 interceptions.

King is an intriguing possibility because of Porter, and he would fill a need. But the question is whether the Steelers will identify him as a potential first-round choice.

Bleacher Report’s NFL scouting department called King a “high-level backup/potential starter” and positioned him as a likely third-round pick in their draft evaluation.

Steelers to Target Defense in First Round of the 2024 NFL Draft?

Porter gives the Steelers the impression that they added a first-round selection to their defense this year. However, Porter was the first choice made in the second round.

Since selecting linebacker Devin Bush in the first round of the 2019 draft, the Steelers have not selected a defensive player.

In fact, Bush put a stop to a seven-year run in which the Steelers selected a defensive player in the first round of the draft. The Steelers selected just one offensive player in the first round between 2011 and 2019.

However, since then, the running back Najee Harris, offensive lineman Brock Jones, and quarterback Kenny Pickett have all been selected by the Steelers in the first 32 rounds.

Naturally, there are still a few months until the draft’s first round. Before then, a lot may happen for the NFL clubs and prospects.

For the Steelers, the most important decision is what to do at quarterback.Mason Rudolph is a free agent, and Pickett’s second season was generally disappointing.

Pittsburgh is open to selecting a quarterback early in the draft if the Steelers decide against signing a another experienced signal caller and instead decide to bring back Rudolph.