The position everyone thought the Steelers were going to target before making a huge move to land LB Devin Bush in the first round ended up happening on the second day of the 2019 NFL Draft. After giving away their second-round selection to the Denver Broncos in the trade up to land Bush, the Steelers were left with two third round picks to use on Friday evening.

The first of those picks went to the other side of the ball before the team came back around with the latter of their third-round choices to add another piece to their defense: cornerback Justin Layne from Michigan State.

A Big Ten product who has played in some big games, Layne factors into the Steelers tried-and-true philosophy of adding players to positions of need by signing veteran, but not overpriced free agents and then adding younger talent later in the draft.

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Pittsburgh added cornerback Steven Nelson, formerly of the Kansas City Chiefs to their team during free agency: he figures to be the starter opposite Joe Haden. But why add Layne?

There’s a lot of moving parts in today’s NFL, including business decisions. While Nelson’s contract dictates he should start immediately, the Steelers are looking at several others in the secondary who could hit free agency in 2020. Those names include Haden, Mike Hilton, and former first round pick Artie Burns.

Burns is the likely culprit for cornerback being a position of need once again. The top pick from 2016 regressed in 2018 so much that he could no longer be trusted as a starter. He was relegated to special teams duties and unless he has a bounce-back preseason, he could even be released from the team.

The only other long-term cornerbacks are Cameron Sutton (entering year three) and his draft classmate Brian Allen, who was a converted receiver and considered a project.

Layne could also be a project, but more upside. A converted wide receiver as well, Layne played 24 games as a sophomore and junior for the Spartans as a corner. He’s a tackling machine, racking up 112 total tackles in those two seasons. However, he has had a lack of interceptions, with only 3 total over his three-year college career (including one after moving to the defensive side of the ball his freshman season).

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In today’s pass-happy NFL, as well as a division rife with top-flight receivers to cover such as Jarvis Landry, Odell-Beckham Jr., and A.J. Green, the Steelers needed depth at this position more than anything. Sutton was penciled in as a slot corner initially before an injury sidelined him and opened up an opportunity for Mike Hilton to go from undrafted camp journeyman to a starter who won an AFC Defensive Player of the Week award. While Sutton can also play on the outside, it’s not a risk the Steelers would like to take.

They also don’t want to risk Burns as their only other option, should the worst case scenario occur and they end up without Haden or Nelson for a game or longer.

The move figures to be similar to something the Baltimore Ravens did a couple of seasons ago when they added Brandon Carr in free agency to pair with their Pro Bowl CB Jimmy Smith; the Ravens then drafted Marlon Humphrey out of Alabama in the first round. Smith would get hurt and suspended, making the Humphrey pick something of a bit of genius.

While Layne doesn’t have the first round pedigree due to where he landed in the draft, many analysts had him pegged as going earlier than he did. NFL.com listed the Michigan State product as a potential second rounder, comparing him to another player the Steelers targeted several years ago but could not land: Bengals CB William Jackson III.

Layne is a larger bodied prospect than the Steelers have taken in the past, standing at 6’2” and weighing in at 192 lbs. His 15 pass breakups ranked in the top 10 of the entire FBS division. He can play in both man and zone coverages: versatility the Steelers are definitely looking for.

Overall, Layne won’t be leaned on to start, at least not in 2019. He’s a player who can learn behind the veterans in front of him and hopefully be eased in, rather than be put to trial by fire… and get burned out. (No pun intended there.)

Landing Layne with their second of the two third round picks is an extremely great value for the Steelers and one that could pay off when they deploy multiple defensive back schemes. It also gives them much-needed depth at a position where the team has been weak over several seasons: making the Steelers cornerback room one of the most talented spots on the entire team.