Steelers Land CB Sleeper in Mel Kiper's Lastest Mock Draft

The Pittsburgh Steelers grab the fourth cornerback off the board.

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers are still believed to be on the hunt for a cornerback early in the 2023 NFL Draft, and in ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr.'s latest mock draft, they find their star at pick 17. 

With their first pick in the draft, Kiper has the Steelers selecting Maryland cornerback Deonte Banks, who's becoming more of a name to watch during Pittsburgh's draft process. 

"Cameron Sutton is out, veteran Patrick Peterson is in, but Pittsburgh’s biggest need hasn’t changed. It has to get younger — and faster — at cornerback," Kiper Jr. writes. "Banks matched Forbes’ 40-yard dash time (4.35) at the combine, and he did it 31 pounds heavier (though he measured 6-foot, two inches shorter than he was listed in college). His 2022 tape is one of the best I’ve seen in this class in terms of man coverage. He can shut down an entire side of the field. He’s a fit for Mike Tomlin’s defense."

 His 2022 tape is one of the best I’ve seen in this class in terms of man coverage. He can shut down an entire side of the field. He’s a fit for Mike Tomlin’s defense.

The Steelers met with Banks at the NFL Combine, and it's no longer a secret that head coach Mike Tomlin has had a Maryland connection the last few years. 

Tomlin's son, Dino, transferred to Boston College last year, but prior to, he gave his dad three years of in-person games to watch for the Terps. During which, Banks played 16 games. 

In four years at Maryland, Banks played 28 games, recording two interceptions and 11 pass deflections. 

Banks is the fourth cornerback taken in Kiper's mock draft, following Penn State's Joey Porter Jr., Oregon's Christian Gonzalez, Illinois' Devon Witherspoon and Mississippi State's Emmanual Forbes. 

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