Daylen Everette
Daylen Everette
Sandwiched between two buzzworthy third-round picks in QB Drew Allar and OG Gennings Dunker, CB Daylen Everette didn’t generate many headlines in April during draft coverage. But early signs suggest that he could be the best player in the Steelers’ 2026 draft class when all is said and done.
“They think they might have hit a home run with Everette, their third-round pick from Georgia. He has been the best rookie at training camp, and they are putting him to the test to see if they are right,” team insider Gerry Dulac wrote via Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Considering the rave reviews OT Max Iheanachor has received since the pads came on Monday, that’s high praise for Everette. But not unfounded—Mike McCarthy has said he doesn’t look like a rookie. And a big part of that has been his performances against DK Metcalf throughout the spring at OTAs and into training camp.
Everette has been holding his own against one of the league’s freakiest-specimen receivers. Recall Joey Porter Jr.’s impressive rookie season. The only receiver who got the better of him was Metcalf, while he shut down others like Ja’Marr Chase, DeAndre Hopkins, and Puka Nacua.
Everette has taken his lumps, as do all defensive backs, but even some of his losses have been played near-perfect. Sometimes the other guy just makes a play.
Despite impressing so far, Everette will be hard-pressed to find playing time this season. With Porter, Asante Samuel Jr., and Jamel Dean ahead of him on the depth chart, he figures to be nothing more than an insurance policy. But it was Omar Khan who pointed out during the draft that cornerback is the most often-injured position in the league.
Everette is a luxury now, but he is an injury or two from becoming a necessity. Pittsburgh hasn’t had this much depth in many years.
Even Jamel Dean, the most veteran boundary cornerback in the room right now, recognizes that the Steelers may have found something special in Everette.
“He has all the tools to be one of the greatest corners when he gets his opportunity,” Dean said, via Dulac.
It’s hard to keep good players on the bench for too long. Something tells me Daylen Everette’s opportunity will come sooner rather than later.