Getty

Pittsburgh Steelers rookie Daylen Everette addressed how he is preparing for his first NFL season.

The Pittsburgh Steelers won’t practice again as a team until training camp in late July. But when that happens, Steelers rookie cornerback Daylen Everette will be ready.

That’s what he made clear when he spoke to reporters during the team’s final week of offseason workouts.

Everette is very likely going to be practicing with the Steelers second-team defense when training camp starts. The rookie’s goal, though, is to be ready for any opportunity he gets.

“Just make sure I’m ready. With those types of guys in the room, we have a lot of good corners, so when I get my opportunity, I just want to make sure they know that I’m ready,” Everette told the media on June 9. “Make sure that I stay standing on my 10 toes and just make sure I know my stuff for when I get my opportunity.”

The Steelers made Everette one of their three third-round picks in the 2026 NFL Draft. The team selected him at No. 85 overall.

Everette could be one of the team’s top depth cornerbacks behind starters Joey Porter Jr. and Jamel Dean.

Daylen Everette Speaks out on Role With Steelers at OTAs

It might take a significant injury for Everette to see a lot of playing time as a rookie. That’s not because he isn’t capable, but he’s joining a Steelers cornerback group that’s pretty deep.

In addition to Porter and Dean, former All-Pro Jalen Ramsey is expected to start. Ramsey could line up at safety in the team’s base defense and then slide to slot cornerback in nickel.

Along with those three cornerbacks, Asante Samuel Jr. and Donte Kent are on the Steelers offseason roster. Kent has never appeared in the regular season, but Samuel possesses 56 games of experience.

But Everette is preparing as if he could play a lot — in different roles.

“For the most part, I’ve been on the outside,” Everette told reporters. “But I’ve been trying to learn every position just because you never know what could happen.”

Everette started 41 games at Georgia in college. He played important games too, in the SEC and College Football Playoffs.

Throughout his college career, he played both outside and at nickel back. That versatility will give the Steelers flexibility to plug Everette into multiple places when needed.

Steelers CB Depth Entering NFL Training Camp

Some pundits questioned the Steelers picking Everette because of the lack of opportunity he could have as a rookie.

But it’s hard to fault an NFL team from adding more cornerbacks. It’s a position that’s difficult to have too much depth.

For Everette, the Steelers could be an injury away from him playing a lot as a rookie. Everette didn’t specifically address that scenario, but he’s clearly aiming to be ready for any chance he could get.

At minicamp, Everette received a lot of opportunities to guard Steelers top receiver D.K. Metcalf. It worked as a sort of welcome-to-the-NFL moment for the rookie. But Everette suggested he loved the opportunity.

“He’s a big physical guy, so going against someone like him, it can help me with guarding anyone else,” said Everette. “I enjoy going against him because I know it’s helping me get better.”

The Steelers have a few exciting rookies to keep an eye on at training camp. Although it’s not clear how he might get playing time, Everette is clearly on that watch list.