While the Pittsburgh Steelers have found a few hidden gems in undrafted free agency in recent years, they have mostly struck out in the seventh round. Their last seventh-round pick who turned into a starter for the team was Kelvin Beachum in 2012 with an honorable mention to special teams ace Tyler Matakevich in 2016.
There is a chance for seventh-round CB Cory Trice Jr. to buck the slim odds and become an eventual starter for the franchise.
According to Steelers beat writer Mark Kaboly, Trice has looked noticeably better at OTAs.
“He’s a guy that if he can just stay healthy, I think has a very legit opportunity to be that DB2 next year. He could be the long-term answer next to Joey Porter,” Kaboly said Wednesday morning via Kaboly + Mack on YouTube. “My goodness he’s just looked the part. He’s looking faster, quicker. He is looking more comfortable.”
Trice has only appeared in six games with one start through two NFL seasons due to injuries. An ACL tear at training camp in his rookie season cost him a full year and then a hamstring injury cost him 11 games last season. That’s on top of being labeled an injury risk in the pre-draft process due to an extensive injury history.
The talent has always far exceeded his draft position, but Trice hasn’t been able to shake the injury bug so far through two seasons. His future could be bright if he does.
He has the length and athleticism that the Steelers look for in the position. And he flashed a lot of good stuff in the limited action he saw last year. He registered 21 combined tackles with one tackle for loss two total passes defensed and an interception. During one of the losses in the miserable December losing streak, Trice was a rare bright spot. His tackling was solid and he was sticky in coverage against the Kansas City Chiefs.
“[He] sounded like he has much more confidence this year,” Kaboly said. “This is why they liked him. He just needs to stay healthy. If he stays healthy, he has a chance to be a guy [that] not only helps his team out this year, but long-term in the future.”
Trice had a tough matchup against Ja’Marr Chase late last season and allowed a decent amount of yards but didn’t look out of place while guarding the best receiver in the league. He told the media that he views his performance that day as unacceptable and has been using it to fuel him.
Our Alex Kozora wrote about the opportunity ahead of Trice this morning. If he can stay healthy as the top rotational corner behind Darius Slay and Joey Porter Jr., then he is in great position to emerge as a starting corner in his contract season for 2026.
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