Getty Shon Stephens impressed at his Pro Day amid interest from the Pittsburgh Steelers
During the 2023 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers used a second-round pick to draft the son of one of their former stars.
The decision to select Joey Porter Jr. is one that has worked out very well for the Steelers as they ended up trusting him to shadow opponents’ top receivers as a rookie and he thrived in the role.
In this year’s draft, there’s a chance for the team to return to the same family tree to continue adding talent at cornerback.
Porter Jr.’s cousin, Shon Stephens is a cornerback from Ferris State that could get some interest in this year’s draft.
According to The Draft Network’s Justin M, Stephens received interest from the Steelers, Chiefs, Eagles, and other teams.
Shon Stephens’ Dominant Pro Day Performance
Stephens had a unique college career. He didn’t play football in 2020 or 2021 as he took time off from football to take care of his mom and then couldn’t get the NCAA to grant him immediate eligibility when he transferred closer to home.
That left him with just the 2022 and 2023 seasons to make an impression and he certainly did.
Stephens never got the chance to play at the Division-I level, but was a standout performer as a Division-II football player.
Stephens racked up 16 interceptions in his two seasons of college football and was named an All-American in 2022.
With the unique path he has taken to there NFL, it seems there is some intrigue about him as a prospect.
That led 29 of the NFL’s 32 teams to watch his Pro Day.
He didn’t disappoint.
Stephens’ 40-yard dash time came in somewhere in the 4.3s, which would make him one of the draft’s fastest corners as only nine corners ran the 40 in less than 4.4 seconds.
His 19 bench press reps would have been second among corners and his 6.97 second 3-cone drill would be fourth at the position.
His athletic ability and nose for the ball could make him an interesting option for the Steelers in this year’s draft class.
The Steelers’ Limited Corner Options
Right now, the Steelers are a bit short on options at cornerback.
They’re set at CB1 with Porter Jr. and they just added Donte Jackson, who currently seems to be the expected CB2.
However, Jackson has struggled a bit over the last couple of years and the Steelers would probably like to add some other options with potential to step into the role.
Last year, they tried to add some rookies that could have the potential to contribute at the position.
They picked up fifth rounder Darius Rush from the Chiefs’ practice squad. They also spent a seventh-round pick to land Cory Trice Jr.
Trice missed the season with an injury and Rush didn’t earn much playing time as a rookie.
Their current corner situation could mean they won’t be looking for one early in the draft, but it would be surprising if they didn’t look at options later in the draft again this year.
Stephens could be a good option for them if they want to take a swing on a late-round corner with potential.
There are definitely some flaws with his prospect profile because of the competition he played against, but there also aren’t many corners that can claim to have intercepted 16 passes in two season in college.
He also showed off some skill on special teams during his time at Ferris State that could provide him with another path to playing time in the NFL.
He seems like a low-risk pick with the potential for a big reward if he’s as good as his college numbers seem.
Stephens will certainly be worth a look for the Steelers in the later rounds if they still have a need at corner heading into the draft.