The Steelers' signing of cornerback Steven Nelson was the team's first step to adding to their defense for 2019. The move gives Joe Haden a true NFL-caliber starter to play opposite of him and challenge opponents' second receiving option outside the numbers.
After Artie Burns didn't work out and Coty Sensabaugh put together a sufficient season as a journeyman replacement, cornerback had to be a priority in the Steelers' offseason and Kevin Colbert made an early move in free agency to address the position.
Let's dig deep on who exactly Nelson is ...
Nelson was drafted by the Chiefs in the third round in the 2015 NFL Draft; the same draft which the Steelers selected Senquez Golson and Doran Grant in the second and fourth rounds.
Athletically, Nelson measured in the middle of his draft class, ranking 13th with his 4.49 time on the 40-yard dash, 11th with his 6.88 time on the 3-cone drill and 10th with his 4.07 time on the 20-yard shuttle. His bench press performance ranked highest as 4th with 19 repetitions of the standard 225 pounds.
That was a good precursor for his current NFL resume as a physical, scrappy cornerback who isn't afraid to get into hand fights with receivers and looks to recover from not being the fastest or quickest on the field with his extra effort.
That effort paid off for the Chiefs as he recorded 16 passes defensed in 15 starts in 2016, and returned from an injury-plagued 2017 to record 15 passes defensed along with four interceptions in 2018. While Nelson was targeted the most of any cornerback in the NFL, he only allowed 53.1 percent of passes to be completed, a feat that limited quarterbacks to a 76.8 passer rating when targeting him, according to Pro Football Focus.
Nelson won't be the premier shutdown cornerback, but he's proven to be advantageous. Watch his interception of Phillip Rivers while covering Tyrell Williams last season. Williams initially beats Nelson with his post move and gets separation, but Nelson trails Williams and takes advantage of a bad pass from Rivers:
While that's not a prime example of elite cornerback play, those are the kinds of interceptions the Steelers missed out on time and time again in 2017. Players like Mike Hilton, Sensabaugh, Sean Davis and Terrell Edmunds let multiple interceptions slip through their fingers. Any one of those drops in some of the team's key losses could've changed the season.
Nelson's tape shows he takes advantage of those moments, and that has to be part of why GM Kevin Colbert made this move.
But let's show you the scrappy side of Nelson we mentioned earlier. Here he is in a goal-line situation tasked with guarding tight end Mo Alie-Cox on a simple fade route during the AFC divisional playoffs. Nelson, at 5-foot-11, 194 pounds, gives up a ton of size to Alie-Cox at 6-foot-6, 260 pounds. But Nelson doesn't care and engages Alie-Cox as soon as he gets to the goal line, using his hands to maintain leverage for the jump ball.
When Andrew Luck tries the back-shoulder pass, Nelson prevents Alie-Cox from creating separation to form a better passing window for Luck. The pass is on target, but Nelson is there to challenge it and force the incomplete pass:
Nelson did get beat now and then in these situations by better players, like the Chargers' Mike Williams. But his ability to contest these passes forces opponents to be accurate and win more combat catches, a challenge that adds more strain to offenses and helps build a stingier defense.
Let's go back to how Nelson is opportunistic and how that can be a big help for the Steelers. Here he is at the top of your screen, lined up around the 25-yard line playing an underneath zone as part of a Cover-2 scheme. Nelson does a good job feeling out his receiver's route while keeping his eyes on the scrambling Baker Mayfield. During the entire play, Nelson's eyes never leave the backfield, and when Mayfield tries to target a different receiver, he jumps the pass and creates the turnover:
While plays like that are impressive, Nelson needs to learn when to watch the quarterback and when to keep his eyes on his receiver. Plenty of great cornerbacks over the years get greedy and boost their interception numbers by watching quarterbacks and jumping routes, but when you're not Deion Sanders or Darrelle Revis, you should stick to your fundamentals more often.
Here's Nelson doing the same thing, but covering the Chargers' highly touted Williams. Notice how on the entire play, Nelson's eyes are in the backfield and Williams blows by him. When seeing this play from the All-22 view, you can see the Chiefs were in a Cover 1 man scheme, meaning Nelson was specifically responsible for Williams. He gets helped out by Eric Berry:
This has to be where Nelson improves the most, otherwise he could end up surrendering big plays for the Steelers, something which Tom Bradley helped improve against in 2018. Sensabaugh used to get caught looking in the backfield plenty in 2017, but part of the reason he held his starting spot in 2018 was because his fundamentals improved and he focused on his receiver assignments.
If Bradley can help Nelson with that, the secondary should be in good shape with the effort Nelson puts forward. He often finds a way to challenge the ball, even when he's beat. Arguably the best play to describe Nelson was a breakup he had against Brandin Cooks on a pass from Jared Goff.
Watch how Cooks beats Nelson with his initial out-and-up move. Nelson even slips in his recovery, but he never gives up on the play and delivers a perfectly timed karate chop to the ball, forcing a drop from Cooks and saving the big play:
Nelson must improve his footwork and initial reaction to receivers going in and out of their breaks, as well as where his eyes are located. But there's no reason to think Bradley can't help him improve either component to his game. There's also no reason to think Nelson can't improve on his own, considering the upward trajectory he's had in his four years in the NFL.
If the Steelers expect Haden to take away opposing team's top receiver, Nelson is a good bet against most team's No. 2 option, and a tough, try-hard character that fits the mold of a useful defensive back.
