The Pittsburgh Steelers mostly used the 2026 NFL Draft to address their offensive weaknesses. But they might have found a true gem for their defense in the third round — cornerback Daylen Everette.
Toward the end of the second week of offseason workouts, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac heaped simple but major praise on Everette.
“The coaches are noticing,” said Dulac on May 28. “He’s been probably the most impressive of all the rookies here at camp.”
The Steelers selected Everette at No. 85 overall of the 2026 NFL Draft. He was the second of the team’s three picks during the third round.
At Georgia, Everette posted 150 combined tackles, including five for loss in 55 games. He also had 19 pass defenses, including 10 as a senior last fall.
Steelers CB Daylen Everette Impressing at Offseason Workouts
Everette performing as the Steelers top rookie early this offseason might be a little surprising, but it’s not shocking. The cornerback played well at Georgia, and pundits considered him a clear-cut Day 2 target in the 2026 NFL Draft.
“Smooth athlete with good size, length and foot agility as an inside/outside option,” wrote NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein. “Everette started 41 games at Georgia, including several high-leverage affairs. He’s well-built with run-through pop when he wants to dial it up.
“He’s controlled and patient from press, forcing wider release stems, and does a nice job of mirroring breaks when in-phase.”
There are questions surrounding Everette’s raw speed and tackling ability. That’s why he wasn’t considered a high-end prospect entering the draft.
But given his experience playing in the SEC and College Football Playoffs, Everette was always a candidate to hit the ground running this offseason.
Other Steelers rookies, such as Max Iheanachor and Drew Allar, still have great long-term upside, but pundits consider them more raw talents. So, Steelers fans probably should expect Everette to be outperforming them early this offseason.
It will be interesting to see if Everette can continue that the rest of the spring. The Steelers will host their mandatory minicamp from June 2-4.
The team will then wrap up their offseason program with the final round of voluntary practices from June 8-12.
Steelers CB Depth at 2026 NFL Offseason Workouts
While it’s great Everette is performing well in practice. But it’s not very clear how that might lead to more playing time.
That’s because the team added depth throughout its secondary this offseason.
The Steelers signed veteran Jamel Dean to play opposite Joey Porter Jr. at cornerback. With that, former All-Pro Jalen Ramsey could primarily play safety and nickel cornerback this fall.
Furthermore, the Steelers signed free safety Jaquan Brisker in NFL free agency.
So, at best, Everette might only be able to be Pittsburgh’s No. 6 defensive back this fall.
Still, at the very least, Everette will provide outside cornerback depth behind Dean and Porter. Everette is likely to compete with veteran Asante Samuel Jr. for that “next-up” outside cornerback role during the preseason.
The Steelers also have cornerbacks Brandin Echols, D’Shawn Jamison and Donte Kent returning. Echols played 522 defensive snaps for the team last season, which was his most since his rookie 2021 campaign.
Additionally, cornerbacks Doneiko Slaughter, Devan Boykin and Tamon Lynum are on the Steelers offseason roster. Boykin received considerable hype as an undrafted free agent following the 2026 NFL Draft.
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