Steelers Wish-List Wednesday: CB Quinyon Mitchell

Cornerback is still an issue going into the offseason for the black and gold. The Steelers found their CB1 of the future in Joey Porter Jr. But the other corner spot produced subpar play from both Levi Wallace and Patrick Peterson. Sure, it might be ideal for the Steelers to look for another cornerback in free agency, but they can also look to the draft. And this week’s wish list involves a MAC cornerback that has risen on the charts.

Yes, Mike Tomlin loves his MAC guys.

Quinyon Mitchell has risen up the draft boards after the Senior Bowl. His stock rose so much that he is deemed one of the best, if not the best cornerback in the draft. His technical skills shined and outperformed expectations from all thirty-two teams.

In 2022, Mitchell had five interceptions returning two for touchdowns and nineteen pass defenses. In 2023, he had one interception and eighteen pass defenses. Those numbers scream lockdown. And to pair him with Porter Jr. and maybe even the returning Corey Trice Jr. would give offensive coordinators and quarterbacks nightmares. 

When I watched film on Mitchell, I quickly noticed that he is very good at reading and reacting. He often runs the receivers’ routes for them, leading to making difficult plays look easy. He would probably be the fastest defensive back on the team. And he’s physical but the open field tackling can be fixed up a tad.

The best-case scenario would be Mitchell being All-Pro. He has that kind of potential. The secondary would be back to normal creating takeaways and putting the offense in great field position. It’s an immediate upgrade over Wallace and Peterson. And the secondary room gets faster. Pittsburgh has one of the slowest secondaries so it’s time to get faster. 

Even if it doesn't pan out and he doesn't become an All-Pro cornerback, he is still an immediate upgrade on what we have. Worst-case scenario, Pittsburgh has a solid CB2 and doesn’t have to worry about a replacement for a few years. And the Steelers excellent defense will only improve.

What do you think Steelers Nation? Would you take Mitchell in the draft? Are you sold or do you need to see more?