When the Pittsburgh Steelers selected cornerback Justin Layne out of Michigan State with the 83rd overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, hopes were high for the young, developmental cornerback who had great length and ball skills for the position.
Three seasons later, Layne has appeared in 43 games and recorded just 41 career tackles and one fumble recovery, playing mostly on special teams with 599 career snaps under Danny Smith’s guidance.
Though the Steelers have been able to find help at cornerback elsewhere with the trade for Ahkello Witherspoon, the signing in free agency of Levi Wallace and the continued development of Cameron Sutton, Layne holds the difficult distinction of being the Steelers’ worst draft pick of the last five years, according to Bleacher Report.