Daylen Everette, a third-round pick and top-100 selection in the 2026 NFL Draft, has flown under the radar, but his preseason tackling clinic might just force Pittsburgh to pay attention. Less than a year removed from being an SEC starter, this rookie corner showed some serious juice in August, making plays that defy his pre-draft scouting report.
The “Forgotten” Rookie’s Uphill Battle
Let’s be real, Everette was pretty much invisible in the media buzz department this offseason. When you’re a third-round pick, that’s already tough, but for Everette, it was even harder. Pittsburgh actually had three third-rounders in 2026. The other two were a massive guard with a famous red mullet and a high-profile Penn State quarterback set to one day battle for the starting job. Talk about being overshadowed, right? Even though Everette’s draft status meant he was always a roster lock, he’s still pretty buried on the 53-man roster depth chart. We’re talking presumed sixth-string corner here, behind serious talent like Joey Porter Jr., Jalen Ramsey, Jamel Dean, Asante Samuel Jr., and Brandin Echols. It’s a deep room, no doubt.
Tackling: From Weakness to Weapon
But here’s the kicker: Everette absolutely flipped the script on his biggest pre-draft weakness. NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein had him down as “willing in run support but … more of a drag-down tackler,” even listing open-field tackling as a specific weakness. Well, what we saw in the preseason was a whole different beast! In the two preseason contests he played, Everette made some wild strides in open-field tackling, turning it into one of his biggest strengths. He was quick to trigger downhill, wasn’t afraid to get dirty, and even in that third clip against the Packers, he shut down a potential massive gain because the running back couldn’t make him miss in space. Having a corner willing to put in that kind of effort, especially when it’s supposed to be a weak spot, is a huge net positive for any defense. That’s gotta grab the coaching staff’s eye.
Flashes in Coverage, Glimpses of Speed
His coverage reps were a bit more of a mixed bag, but don’t sleep on the good stuff. You can see him lock down an in-breaker with physicality in one clip. In another, his 4.38 speed just makes it look easy as he blankets a vertical route downfield. It’s clear the Steelers saw something in him, giving him a pre-draft 9.89 Relative Athletic Score with solid measurables at 6’1″, 196 pounds. This kind of effort and improvement has to get the coaching staff’s attention. Even buried on the depth chart, Everette is proving he is more than a forgotten draft pick. Pittsburgh needs to keep developing this guy because that tackling alone is a net positive for any defense, and that kind of speed is something you just can’t teach.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Behind the Steel Curtain.
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