INDIANAPOLIS -- Weird how every defensive back at the NFL Combine on Thursday boasted about his versatility.
Weird because this trend meshes perfectly with the Steelers' needs. But do the Steelers even know what their needs are? They seem fairly convoluted right now as the team seeks some clarity. To wit:
Starting opposite entrenched cornerback Joey Porter Jr. last season were Darius Slay, James Pierre, and Asante Samuel Jr.
Slay was released after nine games and Pierre and Samuel are scheduled to become free agents in a couple weeks, so cornerback is a hole.
Unless Brandin Echols can fill the spot. But then the Steelers would need a slot corner.
Unless Jalen Ramsey can fill the spot. But then the Steelers would need a free safety.
Porter and strong safety DeShon Elliott are the only mainstays. The rest remains a floating craps game, so to speak, leaving those of us covering the Steelers at the NFL Combine to guess which position for not only predictions but to even know whom to interview on DBs Day.
Which takes us back to the confusion yesterday that comes with every, single DB here claiming he can play all six of the secondary and sub-package positions. So we're going to just list five favorites and try to plug them into a spot, as new coach Mike McCarthy decides which of his returning "floaters" will play and where.
So, with the help from our draft expert Roy Countryman, here's a five spot of DBs who would suit the Steelers, with the round in which they should be picked:
1. Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee -- First Round
McCoy is ranked the No. 13 overall player by Daniel Jeremiah, even though he didn't play last season because of an ACL injury.
Yes, that's usually a red flag for a cornerback in the first round, but McCoy is fully recovered. And not just because he told us so, but because his injury occurred in January of 2025. By opening day, McCoy will have had 20 months of recovery and rehab from the injury that occurred during an offseason workout.
By opening day, McCoy will be 21 years and 2 weeks old, which is very young in this new NIL-driven college landscape wherein a young player coming off an injury can return to college and make big money.
"I made a big impact the year that I played, and I just felt like I was ready," McCoy explained.
Not only must we respect a young player who doesn't want to jerk around in college ball for a big payday, but we must also respect a cornerback with the quiet, confident demeanor of McCoy.
Listed at 6-0, 193, McCoy was second-team All-America in 2024 after defending 13 passes (including 4 interceptions) and allowing only a single touchdown in 640 snaps. But he won't run until his pro day.
"I just want to make sure I'm putting the best thing out, give me some more training time, do it all that pro day," he said. "I'm going to have a great pro day."
McCoy, who called Ramsey one of his two favorite cornerbacks to watch, met with the Steelers this week.
"It was a good interview," he said. "I love the defense they showed me."
2. D'Angelo Ponds, CB, Indiana -- Second Round
One of the heroes of the reigning national champions, Ponds actually had a pond named after him in the town surrounding his campus.
"It was only for a week, though," he said of D'Angelo's Pond. "When I was out there, it was frozen. I did take a picture with it, though. That was pretty cool for the city of Bloomington to do that for me."
But look at what he did for the city of Bloomington: Ponds was Defensive Player of the Game vs. Alabama (Rose Bowl/quarterfinals) and vs. Oregon (Peach Bowl/semifinals). In the latter game, Ponds scored a touchdown off an interception on Oregon's first snap of the game.
"The Steelers asked me about that play," Ponds said. "It was a great meeting. They asked me great questions about me as a person."
Don't let his 5-9, 173-pound frame fool you. He's tough, as his 10.5 career tackles-for-loss attest. He also had 40 career passes defensed, which includes 7 interceptions. He's a physical, fiesty nickel prototype in the Mike Hilton mold, except with Ponds' athletic skills, he's expected to be drafted, and early.
Where did he get that physicality?
"I've been playing football since I was four years old," he said. "It's something that's been instilled in me since I was younger. It kind of comes naturally. It's just the way I play and it's always how I've been my whole life."
What else does Ponds offer an NFL team?
"A guy who's a winner," he said. "I feel like I've got the right mentality, the right mindset to never get comfortable and know that people are going to be at your neck since you're winning."
Chaminade-Madonna Prep (Hollywood, Fla.) won the state title his senior year in high school with an undefeated record.
James Madison University went 11-2 in Ponds' freshman season in college.
Indiana University took in both Ponds and Coach Curt Cignetti from JMU the next season. The Hoosiers went 11-2 their first year and 16-0 with the school's first national championship their second year.
If you can win at Indiana ...
Ponds is a winner. Bring him on.
3. Zakee Wheatley, FS, Penn State -- Third Round
Wheatley opened his interview session by answering a question about former Penn Stater Jalen Reed being his best friend.
It was mentioned that Porter Jr. might not appreciate that.
"Joey Porter, my dog!" Wheatley said when this other "best friend" was mentioned. "I came in freshman year as a cornerback, so me and him were in the same room. We grew very close and I talk to him all the time."
Wheatley was behind Porter on the depth chart but Wheatley marveled at Porter's practice reps during Penn State's competition periods. Wheatley said that Porter inspired him, and when Porter left for the Steelers, but Wheatley -- a 6-2, 200-pounder -- was moved to free safety. He enjoyed a huge 2024 season with 16 starts, 3 interceptions, and a big run in the playoffs with a pair of turnovers and the Defensive MVP award in the win over Boise State and then an interception and 16 tackles in a narrow loss to Notre Dame.
Sixteen tackles?
"Yes, sir," Wheatley said proudly. He explained it was a case of "the ball just finding me and I was finding the ball."
The Steelers met with Wheatley here and he no doubt explained both his move to safety and his overall versatility the same way he did to the media.
"It was a great transition," Wheatley said. "I think it was very important for my career, coming as a freshman, being under Terry Smith, and being able to learn how to play a corner and use my feet. Transition to safety was very important. Covering the slots and covering tight ends gave me confidence in covering."
Wheatley was a middle linebacker growing up in Severn, Maryland, but moved to the secondary before reaching high school. He came out of Archbishop Spalding High as a 4-star recruit and Big 33 participant. He redshierted in 2021 and in the next four years made 6 interceptions and 221 tackles.
Is he a free or strong safety or a Mel Blount-type corner?
"I'm pretty versatile," Wheatley said. "In the beginning of the years of my career at Penn State, I was in the post a lot and showed off my range. But this year with Coach (Jim) Knowles, it allowed me to be in the box and fill the alley more, and I really appreciate that part of the game."
He also feels he developed character through Penn State's stunning six-game losing skid last season.
"We had plans of playing for national championship. That's why I went to Penn State," Wheatley said. "So, obviously, facing challenges taught me perseverance and to just fight through, keep my head down, and play for the love of the game."
4. Thaddeus Dixon, CB, North Carolina -- Fourth Round
A 6-1, 185-pounder out of Los Angeles, Dixon spent two seasons in junior college, a season as a reserve corner at DB-proud Washington, and then a season as a starting corner at Washington, before transferring to become part of one of the most watched and dissected programs in the country: North Carolina under coach Bill Belichick.
Dixon was asked if he was -- as the team's No. 1 cornerback -- given Belichick's respect or whether he had to earn it.
"Um," Dixon said with a laugh as if it were a trick question. "I'll say I had to earn it. But it wasn't as hard for him to like me as it was him to like other people, just because I'm such an outgoing guy, very charismatic, and I was a leader on the team. So, you know, our relationship kind of hit it the moment I met him."
Another reporter asked Dixon when he earned Belichick's respect.
"Probably during the offseason workouts, just how I carry myself as a man and a leader," Dixon said. "He respected how I was bringing everybody along, especially the younger guys. As a dude coming in with a lot of playing experience, and with 70 new players on the team, just trying to get everybody to mesh and stuff like that, he saw I was really taking the next step."
This reporter -- realizing that Belichick and his NFL rings and his girlfriend created something of a circus in Chapel Hill -- asked Dixon when Belichick earned HIS respect.
"The moment he knocked my Raiders out the playoffs 20 years ago when I was a little kid," Dixon said with a laugh. "He did have my respect. I've always looked at him as one of the greatest coaches ever. I didn't used to like the Patriots when I was a kid, but I love the Patriots now."
Was Belichick everything he expected?
"Everything I expected, plus some," Dixon said.
For surviving the circus with class, and for his size and speed ("I'm going to light it up here"), and because Countryman likes him quite a bit, we'll include Dixon on our top 5 value board.
Dixon added this gem about his season-long job requirement of traveling with the opponent's top receiver:
"I'm not a safe-playing corner," he said. "I like to go first match-up versus the best wide receiver. I like to eliminate dudes from games. I like matching up against the best. This is something about me inside, internally. I like matching up against the best. So, you know, I always matched up against the best wide receiver. Any chance I could get, I would be in Coach Belichick's office, 'I want him this week.' We had that type of relationship, where it's like, 'All right, go get him.'"
5. Ahmaad Moses, SS, SMU -- Sixth Round
Speaking of Countryman, in our pre-combine meeting, he included Moses because he "reminds me so much of DeShon Elliott."
Elliott's a quality strong safety against both the pass and run, and while he's a couple inches taller than the 5-10 Moses, they both weigh in the 205-210 range, both were born in the Dallas area and both went to college in Texas. Elliott was drafted in the sixth round out of Texas by the Ravens in 2018.
"I remember watching him when I was younger," said Moses. "He's had a good career. Is he still with the Ravens?"
Nope. He's with your next team.
Moses laughed, and said he has not spoken with the Steelers yet.
Moses, out of Mansfield Summit High in Arlington, was an All-State special teams player in Texas. He went to SMU and played in 27 games (3 starts) before breaking out in 2024 with a 10-tackle game against Pitt and 2 interceptions (one for a TD) against TCU.
Last season, Moses was a team captain and finished seventh in the ACC with 104 tackles. While he was Defensive MVP of the Holiday Bowl win over Arizona, Moses's best game was against Miami. He made 15 tackles and had 2 interceptions in the upset. One of those interceptions of Carson Beck came at the goal line in overtime.
"I was able to make a name for myself, boost my name," Moses said. "A lot of people heard about me and I started getting the respect I feel like I've deserved."
The second interception that day set up SMU for a win with a field goal in overtime. But they finished it off instead with a touchdown as the fans charged the field.
"We knocked off the No. 10 team in the nation and I got to experience my first field rush," Moses said. "That was really cool. I took like 100 pictures that day.
"Everybody doubted us that week. Even some of my friends, were like, 'Hey, I got Miami this week. I'm praying for y'all.' So being able to knock them off and get the win and celebrate with my team in the locker room is a really good experience."
Once again, what position is your best?
"I'm really versatile," he said. "I play special teams, played nickel, played low in the box, played high in the post. I feel like I showed that I could play in all different areas in each position that I played. And I had really good production in each spot. So any team that gets me they can use me in so many different ways."
The Steelers are certainly a team that will need, even demand, that kind of versatility.
Cornerback D'Angelo Ponds (5) celebrates Indiana's national championship with a teammate (Photo: Rich Janzaruk, USA TODAY Sports)