The Pittsburgh Steelers had a tremendous weekend in the 2024 NFL Draft.
They addressed just about all of their needs with every pick, and did so without having to trade up at any point.
Pittsburgh closed out their draft by taking Texas cornerback Ryan Watts, who is one of the most athletic defensive backs in this class with a Real Athletic Score of 9.12.
Watts only played seven snaps in the slot in 2023 with the Longhorns, as well as five snaps at safety, but he says he is confident he can make the transition to play as a nickel cornerback or safety should that be what the Steelers want him to do.
He also adds that the Steelers loved how versatile he is.
The athleticism of Watts would likely make the Steelers more confident that he can make either transition that the team would want from him. However, don’t expect him to be the starter at nickel as a rookie. I would expect the team to hit the free agent market and bring back someone like Patrick Peterson, Chandon Sullivan, or Cam Sutton to be the starter in the slot.
