The Pittsburgh Steelers are riding high after picking up a huge upset victory over the Indianapolis Colts in Week 9. And while there is still a lot of football left to play this season, it’s never too early to begin looking ahead to the 2026 NFL Draft, as tons of star college football prospects are putting together some solid tape currently.
While the Steelers have a 5-3 record, it’s clear that there are several spots on their roster that could use some improvements. One of those positions is at cornerback, where the team was recently predicted to select star Clemson Tigers cornerback Avieon Terrell with the No. 20 overall pick in Bleacher Report’s latest mock draft.
“The Pittsburgh Steelers secondary is being held together with duct tape and bubble gum at this point in the season,” Bleacher Report wrote. “The addition of a quality defensive back will be a smart decision by general manager Omar Khan.
Head coach Mike Tomlin has been far too content placing long-in-the-tooth veterans at cornerback. The Steelers haven’t selected a first-round cornerback since Artie Burns in 2016.”
Terrell is in his third season with the Tigers, and he has established himself as one of the top cornerback prospects in the 2026 draft class. In eight games this season, Terrell has 36 tackles (2.5 of which have gone for a loss), one sack, eight pass deflections and three fumbles forced, the latter of which is tops in the ACC.
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Pittsburgh’s secondary has been less than stellar this season, which would make adding a potential lockdown corner like Terrell a game-changing move. For now, the Steelers will be focused on continuing to win football games this season, as they draw a tough Week 10 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday Night Football.
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