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The Pittsburgh Steelers are expected to meet with University of Washington cornerback Byron Murphy on Monday, per Blitzburgh.
The Steelers are desperately trying to improve a secondary that has not been very opportunistic, as Pittsburgh's defensive backs were unable to create turnovers in 2018.
Murphy is someone who can potentially change that, as he racked up 58 tackles, four interceptions, a forced fumble, 13 passes defended and a defensive touchdown during his sophomore campaign this past season.
In his freshman year, Murphy finished with 16 tackles, a sack, a couple of picks, a forced fumble and seven passes defended in a much more limited role.
WalterFootball.com states that Murphy is the third-best cornerback in this year's NFL Draft class:
“The Huskies fielded a secondary loaded with NFL talent in 2018, and Murphy was the best player of the group,” wrote Charlie Campbell of WalterFootball.com. “Murphy needs to gain weight for the NFL, because his small frame could be problematic for staying healthy and handling the strength of pro receivers. However, Murphy has good cover skills to run the route and prevent separation. He also has received good preparation and coaching from defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake, who was a good defensive backs coach in the NFL.”
The Steelers are coming off of a disappointing 2018 season in which they went 9-6-1 and ended up missing the playoffs in spite of a 7-2-1 start.
It marked the first time Pittsburgh failed to qualify for the postseason since 2013, and from 2014 through 2017, the Steelers posted double-digit win totals each season, topping out at 13 in 2017.