The Pittsburgh Steelers failed to address a couple of positions of need at the 2025 NFL Draft. They also added another vacancy once they traded away George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys. One of the holes on their roster remaining is at slot cornerback.
They have some pieces on the team, but they might be willing to push Donte Kent into a starting role.
It might be lunacy to push a seventh-round pick into such a monumental spot on defense, but Mike Tomlin has not shied away from doing that before.
He had Mike Hilton become a starter after being an undrafted free agent. Last year, Pittsburgh shoved Beanie Bishop into that role despite also being an undrafted free agent. By those standards, Kent would have more pedigree than either of them.
Several interesting pieces on the Steelers roster should push for snaps as the starting slot cornerback for the team. Unless they add someone in free agency, which is unlikely, they will roll into training camp with Kent, Bishop, UDFA pick-up Sebastian Castro, and Brandin Echols as the possible choices. One of those names must emerge as the starter, but none brings much pedigree to the position.
Donte Kent might be forced to sink or swim as a starter on Pittsburgh Steelers' defense
Pittsburgh will try and push Bishop into the starting role since he is familiar with the group. Echols just got paid handsomely in free agency, but he has limited reps in the slot. Tomlin likely hopes that Echols can fit into this competition, but he probably won't succeed. That means two undrafted free agents will compete with Kent for the starting role. That wouldn't be an ideal scenario, but it could be realistic.
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Kent played in the MAC, which Tomlin loves. He has spoken highly about that conference before. They have plucked several talents out of that area of college football before with varying degrees of success. Their best results were Diontae Johnson and Antonio Brown. Having a slot cornerback from Central Michigan with an inconsistent career gunning for a starting job would be a bold move.
That being said, the lack of quality competition at the slot position is unnerving.
That line of thinking is why Tomlin has failed to find an adequate replacement for Hilton, who left the team in 2021. Kent has shown flashes of good things during his time at Central Michigan, but also exposed low points in his game. If he can consistently compete at a high level, he could become a steal from the draft.
When you review this situation with a magnifying glass, it's not hard to see Kent making this roster and possibly earning a significant role. Training camp will be where Kent and some of his teammates vying for spots can really show what they can do. Kent's potential failure to display a consistent preseason for the Steelers could result in joblessness.
He has a clear path forward and better take advantage of it.
