The Steelers feel pretty confident in their top cornerback group of Artie Burns, Joe Haden and Mike Hilton, as well as the second year cornerback Cameron Sutton.
But one rookie they kept off the practice squad, despite not playing one defensive snap all season, was Brian Allen. That protection should serve as a sign of how much they regard his potential to develop into a starting cornerback for the team. Allen played his last two seasons with Utah as a cornerback despite coming to the program as a wide receiver.
Despite his impressive physical stats of a 6-foot-3, 215-pound frame and a 4.48 time in the 40-yard dash, Allen wasn't drafted until the fifth round by the Steelers due to his fundamentals as a cornerback. But the problems he had in college seemed very fixable and pose an interesting story if the Steelers can turn his weaknesses into strengths.
That natural athleticism doesn't just apply to speed, it goes into Allen's ability to high point the ball as well. One thing the Steelers love about him is how those ball skills of a receiver still seem to be with Allen's talents. Watch how he nabs this interception by skying into the air and making a solid interception after reading the quarterback's eyes:
When it comes to those jump ball situations, most cornerbacks don't have the talent to contend with receivers that are often taller and more used to attacking the ball and pulling in high passes. There's also the ability to adjust to passes while running with receivers down the field.
If Allen was able to lock his eyes onto the ball, he was at least able to contend for it in his college days. When that happened, he showed he was good at making the necessary adjustments to bring the ball in, as he was able to nab four interceptions in his senior year.
Watch how he's able to run with this receiver up the sideline and adjust to a pass that is under-thrown to secure the ball and finish the turnover:
But what kept teams away from Allen until the fifth round of the 2017 NFL Draft was his serious lack of fundamentals in how to shadow receivers and properly drop back into coverage. Allen had a bad habit of staring down the quarterback while dropping into coverage and losing track of his assigned receiver; a bad habit that often gets young cornerbacks in trouble.
Watch how that backfired against California when he was in college, as he dropped back and froze for just half a second while the ball was in the air. He misplays the ball and loses track of the receiver, giving up the touchdown:
One of the fundamentals taught to young cornerbacks is how to keep their eyes on their receiver and adjust to how they run their routes. As cornerbacks improve, they learn how to switch between watching for the receiver and watching for the ball. Allen was not at that point in his senior year out of college, which is why the Steelers didn't use him at all in his rookie year.
Watch how he tries to do just that here, and loses the ball at the top of the route. Allen does a good job at the start by lining up his man and running with him, but when he looks for the ball he loses track of of his man, mistimes his jump and gives up the touchdown:
Working together all the different aspects of coordinated coverage is an extremely complicated process. Not only does Allen have to pay close attention to where his focus is, he has to make sure he can apply the proper footwork in his backpedal and turn that into a full sprint to run with whatever route his man is running.
We talked about how Tom Bradley's coaching could apply his to the Steelers' young secondary, and Allen could be one of the biggest beneficiaries of that tutelage. Allen was already progressing under Carnell Lake and some of that could be evidenced by his play in preseason.
Watch how Allen plays press against the Giants in last year's preseason, where he is able to keep his eyes on the receiver the entire time, force him to the sideline, and put his hands up at the right time and spot to force the incomplete pass:
While Allen did show progress, he still needs to develop consistency in those traits to be a good cornerback. That's what we will be looking for in Allen's second season in both training camp and as he gets more plays in preseason. If Allen can show those steps of improvement, then maybe he can be part of the Steelers' future of cornerbacks that play outside the numbers.
