The Pittsburgh Steelers’ Dick LeBeau defense called for a certain type of cornerback to be able to run effective. You needed cornerbacks with their eyes forward who were capable of playing the run in order to accommodate for the zone blitz, for example, and generally, that prioritized more fundamentally sound, physical players over those with an emphasis on ball skills.
The team’s cornerback profile changed pretty immediately, however, as soon as they moved on from LeBeau and promoted Keith Butler to defensive coordinator, with former Tampa 2 disciple Mike Tomlin sticking his thumb in as well. They immediately drafted Senquez Golson in the second round as a strikingly bad poster boy for their new-look boundary defender.