Earlier this week, Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette praised CB Daylen Everette in his weekly chat. After OTAs this week, Dulac went a step further and said Everette, one of Pittsburgh’s third-round picks, has been the most impressive rookie so far.
In a practice report video for the Post-Gazette YouTube channel, Dulac continued to heap praise on Everette.
“The coaches are noticing. He’s been probably the most impressive of all the rookies here at camp,” Dulac said.
When he was drafted, the prevailing thought was that Everette would serve as depth and likely play primarily on special teams. While there’s no clear path to playing time, especially because he has limited experience in the slot, it feels more likely that we see Everette get some run defensively this season.
Obviously, it’s still early on in the offseason, but it’s notable that coaches are recognizing and paying attention to Everette’s performance. Training camp will be the ultimate indicator, especially when the pads come on, but it’s a positive that Everette is catching eyes early.
After Everette was selected, The Athletic draft guru Dane Brugler praised the pick, but said that Everette has to become a more consistent player. His biggest knock in college was his lack of consistency, and he’ll need to continue to play at a high level to have a chance to impact the Steelers’ defense this year. Given the consistency issues, it’s hard to read too much into his performance so far, But the praise has been consistent throughout OTAs.
The hope is that Everette can turn into a long-term starter for the Steelers at corner, potentially opposite Joey Porter Jr.
Porter is a player who Everette said he watched tape of when he was at Georgia, and Porter is an ascending star for the Steelers. Given the positive early returns on Everette, it’s not far-fetched to think he could join Porter in the starting lineup at some point early in his career.
Barring injury, Jamel Dean is still going to be Pittsburgh’s Week 1 starter. Asante Samuel Jr. is a strong No. 3 corner option. But if Everette can stay consistent and keep playing at a high level, it might be hard to keep him off the field.