The Steelers got a lot to like out of their rookie class in Week 1 of the preseason, but Daylen Everette’s debut came with the exact kind of warning sign scouts had circled before the draft.
Everette, Pittsburgh’s third-round pick at No. 85 overall in the 2026 NFL Draft, flashed plenty in the opener against the Packers. He showed strong closing speed, was credited with two defensive stops, gave up only two yards after the catch, and didn’t miss a tackle. That part of his night looked encouraging.
The problem came in coverage, where the concern that followed him into the draft showed up almost immediately.
On 18 coverage snaps, Everette allowed two catches on three targets for 23 yards. He also had one rep where he got turned around deep down the field, and if quarterback Kyle McCord had placed the ball on target, it might have gone for a 70-yard touchdown to J. Michael Sturdivant.
That performance left him with a 48.2 coverage grade from Pro Football Focus in Week 1 of the preseason, and his 52.3 overall grade ranked third-worst on the team among defenders.
The scouting reports that came out before the draft sounded an awful lot like what Pittsburgh saw in the preseason opener. NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein wrote of Everette: "Everette appears to lack make-up speed and sudden acceleration from transitions, so when he gets behind, he tends to stay behind.
He’s willing in run support but is more of a drag-down tackler. Everette’s traits are differentiators, but he might lack stickiness against NFL quickness and speed," Zierlein wrote in his scouting report.
Todd McShay of The Ringer had a similar read: "He gives receivers too much of a cushion, struggles to recover from bad angles, and can give up chunk yards after the catch. He needs to improve his ability to track and adjust to the deep ball."
Everette did put the speed question to rest at the NFL Combine, where he ran a 4.38 40-yard dash. The issue appears to be less about straight-line speed and more about how quickly he reacts and transitions when the play changes.
At 21 years old, with a listed size of 6-foot-1 1/4, 196 pounds, 32-inch arms and that 4.38 speed, Everette still slid to the middle of the third round because teams had reservations about his coverage game.
He’s still only 22, and the Steelers clearly got enough from his debut to know he can help in some areas. But if he wants a real shot at carving out a role in the defensive backfield rotation in 2026, he’s going to have to show over the next two preseason games that he can be trusted when the ball is in the air.
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