The Steelers came into 2011 NFL draft needing a corner more than any other position and they finally got one at the end of the third round when they selected Curtis Brown from Texas. This came after they passed on a chance to draft Brown’s teammate Aaron Williams.
Ed Bouchette reported in PG Plus that Carnell Lake had rated Brown as a better cover corner than his team mate Williams, who went at the top of the second round.
ESPN was less kind to Brown. Their write up praised his athletic abilities but observed that “He struggles to recover when out of position, though, and has only average instincts.”
A lot of people have knocked Brown’s size, but Peter Bean from Behind the Steel Curtain debunks that myth, while arguing that Brown has tremendous athletic gifts and big upside. (Benn’s article is a good one, click here to read it.)
The 2011 NFL draft might not have unfolded in quite the way the Steelers would have preferred, but drafts rarely do. They key to the draft isn’t knowing who you want to take in each round, its having the agility to know how you need to take when the ones that you want are already gone.
Let’s see how day 3 unfolds.
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