Mike Hilton forged his NFL identity against all odds to be the Steelers' primary slot cornerback after being an undrafted rookie from a Power Five conference team in 2017. Standing at 5-foot-9, his tenacity earned the four-year $24 million contract the Bengals gave him.
Now the Steelers are most likely going to need another young player they spent little-to-no draft capital on to step up at slot cornerback in 2021 with Hilton gone. But there's another undrafted 5-foot-9 slot cornerback from a Power Five conference program the Steelers picked up in 2021 who could fit that mold.
That player is Shakur Brown out of Michigan State. The 21-year old showed up in Steelers rookie camp, OTAs and minicamp regularly working individual drills on his ability to work press coverage out of the slot.
He comes to the Steelers after a hot junior season with the Spartans when he recorded five interceptions and four pass breakups in just seven games. The five interceptions tied with the Steelers' seventh round pick in Oklahoma safety Tre Norwood for third-most in the NCAA.
Several NFL Draft experts projected Brown to be approximately a fourth round pick, but a less than favorable pro day performance didn't help his case. His 4.61 seconds in the 40-yard dash was among the worst of the cornerback class, as was his 116-inch broad jump. His 35.5-inch vertical, 7.08 seconds in the three-cone drill and 4.23 seconds in the shuttle were all middle of the pack of the class.
Those numbers along with being an undersized cornerback on a 2-5 team didn't help Brown's case, but his tape shows the makings of a feisty slot cornerback who challenged receivers all around the field. Watch how Brown worked this interception against Indiana out the slot.
You can see him in press at the line maintain inside leverage as the receiver works down the field. But Brown stays in the receiver's hip pocket to force a tight passing window. The quarterback thought a floater would allow for his man to win a jump ball against the shorter man in Brown, but his positioning was too good and was in the perfect spot for the interception:
That's the essential part of Brown.
He's quick to mirror receivers, stick close to them in their cuts and break on the ball when he's in solid position. When covering in the slot, that's what's needed. It doesn't take a lightning-fast forty-yard dash to play that role, as Hilton can attest as he ran 4.55 seconds in the drill when he entered the NFL.
Joe Haden has made a career without being lightning fast cornerback as he ran a 4.57 seconds time in his 2010 NFL Scouting Combine. Not all cornerbacks need it, but there are still elements to Haden's game that have made him a reliable cornerback on the outside.
Just don't ask him to line up in the slot.
"I had to do it a little bit as a rookie," Haden said about playing slot cornerback during minicamp. "It's a different ball game on the inside. Those little slot receivers have route trees that are totally different and the timing is different too. Cam Sutton, that's what he does. He's a great inside and outside guy. Same for Steven Nelson. I just play outside. Honestly, I want no parts of the slot. Cam is just able to play both at such a high level."
Playing inside and outside have different technique requirements that take adjusting to, but often outside cornerbacks have the tougher job of guarding a team's best receivers and having less safety help behind them.
Slot cornerbacks, because they play closer to the middle of the field, often get more help from cover linebackers and safeties. But also, the same trail techniques that often work for slot cornerbacks aren't as useful for outside cornerbacks who need to maintain inside leverage and pin receivers to the sideline.
Here's an example where Brown had to play outside cornerback, but didn't maintain that leverage. Watch how the receiver worked to get inside of him and how open he was. Fortunately for Brown, the pass was thrown far too short and Brown's positioning allowed him to jump it:
But had the pass been to the back pylon, that would've been an easy touchdown Brown gave up for Illinois to tie the game.
That's where Brown looked out of his element. When he had to keep maintaining that inside leverage against taller receivers and work a game that put his height at the biggest disadvantage, he often had to sell out his leverage when playing aggressive to counter taller receivers on the boundary.
But when Brown can use his ability to trail receivers he's in his comfort zone. Watch how he played outside cornerback here, but when the receiver broke on a deep crossing pattern he closed quickly on his cut, then broke on the ball as soon as it arrived:
Brown's ball skills when he's able to play his style of coverage made him an asset in the Big Ten.
Can he do that consistently against NFL talent? That's what the Steelers will need to find out in training camp and the preseason before suiting up for the season opener against the Bills. He'll have solid competition against Norwood, Antoine Brooks and even Sutton if the Steelers like James Pierre lining up on the outside.
As Haden indicated, Sutton developed his game to make being a slot cornerback a reliable part of his game. After the final minicamp practice session ended, Brown could be seen as one of the last Steelers to leave Heinz Field working with Sutton on his initial release as a cornerback. If he takes after Sutton, Brown could also find a way to contribute as a rookie while the Steelers look for new answers in the secondary.
But to do that, Brown will have to do more things that Hilton was known for in the slot that weren't just about being good in coverage.
"Obviously we had a good blitzer last year in Mike Hilton," Keith Butler said during minicamp at Heinz Field when asked what he's looking for in his next slot cornerback. "We need a guy like that playing the slot for us or playing the nickel. Cam (Sutton) has always been able to play multiple positions. We need the same thing from some of the younger guys."
Hilton was a regular contributor as a pass rusher out of the slot and helping against the run for the Steelers. His instincts often helped him jump snaps off the edge and diagnose run plays and screens to get in position to shut plays down close to the line of scrimmage. Over four years he totaled 30 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks with the Steelers.
Those 30 tackles for loss are tied for the most by a Steelers cornerback in franchise history with William Gay, and the only Steelers defensive back with more was Troy Poiamalu with 56. That's a big vacancy for any player to fill.
Brown didn't flash too much of that at Michigan State as his only two tackles for loss were two sacks in 2019. But he did look capable when he brought the heat on this sack against Tulsa from outside.
You'd still want him to target the quarterback's back shoulder, especially with mobile quarterbacks he'll face like Lamar Jackson who could spin out of those tackles, but he did wrap his man and bring him down on this play:
You better believe he'll be challenged to do that a lot more by Butler and defensive backs coach Teryl Austin.
How he approaches those challenges could define one of the most important training camp battles heading into the Steelers' 2021 season.
