One of the major topics over the course of this offseason—and really, one of the critical issues facing the team this year—has been the development of Pittsburgh Steelers third-year cornerback Ross Cockrell, who is expected to enter the starting lineup this year after playing extensively during large stretches of the 2015 season in the nickel defense.
The main area that many have focused on has been his strength and physicality. Cockrell has a lean frame and even out of college was followed with a reputation for being on the less physical end of the spectrum, which is not of the standard profile for the Steelers in their starting cornerbacks.