Apr 25, 2016 4 min read

PITTSBURGH – It’s been nearly 20 years since the Steelers last selected a cornerback in the first round of the NFL Draft, that being Chad Scott in 1997.

Despite losing two major contributors at the position in the offseason and having precious little experience outside of veteran William Gay, general manager Kevin Colbert and head coach Mike Tomlin weren’t going to paint themselves into a corner – no pun intended – when it comes to this year’s draft.

Meeting with the media Monday as they finalize their preparations for the draft, which begins Thursday, Colbert and Tomlin declined to say that the team has a pressing need at cornerback despite ranking 30th in the NFL in pass defense last season and losing Antwon Blake and Brandon Boykin in free agency.

“I think the hole’s in the eyes of the beholder,” said Colbert. “I’m sure you’re talking about the secondary. In my eyes, we have good players back there. They were good enough to get us one step away from the AFC Championship game. We want to enhance it. We want to add more good players. William Gay, Ross Cockrell, they did some good things for us. We lost a few guys in free agency, so we want to add some more.”

Behind Gay and Cockrell, the Steelers have a lot of bodies. What they don’t have is a lot of NFL experience. And even Cockrell, a 2015 fourth-round draft pick who was signed by the Steelers after being released by Buffalo at the end of the preseason, is lacking in that area. His first playing experience came with the Steelers.

“We will put a capable secondary on the field. I am not overly concerned about that,” Tomlin said. “Those guys did a nice job, some in unexpected roles for us a year ago. We have some questions in that area. Questions are a part of this thing, whether it’s at that position or on the offensive line. That used to be the discussion. You are always going to have questions. We are excited about the group we are putting together, and their ability to perform.”

The problem for the Steelers is that they hold the 25th selection in the first round of the seven-round draft. Many draft prognosticators don’t anticipate the top three or four cornerbacks will be available at the 25th pick. And, as Colbert noted, the Steelers believe it will be too costly to trade up in the first round.

That has been a common theme for the Steelers since Colbert joined the team in 2000. Since that time, the Steelers have selected only one defensive back – safety Troy Polamalu in 2003 – in the first round. And they had to trade up to acquire him.

“I think we’ve probably averaged picking around 23rd since I’ve been here,” Colbert said. “A lot of times, top corners usually are in the top-15, but I can’t really say we’ve intentionally ignored that position. It just happened to break that way.”

And the Steelers aren’t going to reach for a player at a position just to fill a need.

“If we take a second-round corner in the first round, then we should expect a second-round corner and not a first-rounder,” said Colbert.

The Steelers do, however, have one wild card in their secondary. Last year’s second-round pick, cornerback Senquez Golson, missed the entire season because of a shoulder injury suffered in mini-camp.

Golson is healthy and the Steelers hope he can be a major contributor next season. The expectation is that having spent last offseason working out with the team and having a full offseason will pay dividends for Golson.

“I think we can sit around and speculate about what he’s gained, but I don’t think that will truly become evident until we start playing, and we see maybe the differences between him and the first-exposure guys,” Tomlin said. “He should stick out in that setting, just from the time spent.

“He’s going to have an opportunity to display what has been learned, once he gets going. I think anything prior to that is simply speculation.”

The Steelers have until May 2 to decide whether they will pick up the fifth-year option on linebacker Jarvis Jones that will guarantee him just over $8 million in 2017. They are not expected to do so, meaning Jones, a 2013 first-round draft pick, would become a free agent after the 2016 season. … While Colbert did rule out trading up in the first round, he said the Steelers will be open to moving down to acquire more picks. … The Steelers have seven picks in the draft, one each in rounds 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6, and two in round 7.