Steelers CB Leads NFL in Key Stat in 2022

Levi Wallace will be in a competition this season to maintain his starting job on the outside with Joey Porter Jr. now coming to the Steelers, but his 2022 season should be looked back on fondly. The tape is quite underrated and most of the stats do show that Wallace turned into a dependable CB2 by the end of the season.

Pro Football Focus revealed their highest graded cornerbacks on each route type. Well, Wallace made that list on a route that is key to the Steelers success in the AFC North. Wallace was rated the best cornerback against go routes in the NFL with a grade of 96.8 against those routes.

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That is second highest grade on any route for a cornerback last season. The only guy that can boast a higher grade against any route type is Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore against slant routes. When the division has guys like Ja’Marr Chase, Odell Beckham Jr., and Amari Cooper, the go route is going to be one of the key routes that the Steelers must stop.

It gets better, though. Wallace led the entire NFL in passer rating against in man coverage, allowing only a 41.8 passer rating and 74.8 passer rating overall in the season. He snagged all four of his interceptions in man coverage. Of course, that does not paint the entire picture for Wallace, but his 2022 should be looked back quite fondly as a player who really did go under the radar for what they did.

Porter Jr. and Cory Trice have two great mentors to learn from in Patrick Peterson and Wallace. It’s hard for me to fully see Wallace thrown to the wayside given his dependable skillset that the team can really bank on throughout his career. He might not be the flashiest player, but he is proving to be a consistent contributor on every team that he has been on so far.