Steelers Sign USC DB Chris Steele as UDFA

The Pittsburgh Steelers agreed to sign USC cornerback Chris Steele as a undrafted free agent following the conclusion of the 2022 NFL Draft, the team announced on Saturday.

Steele is a 6-foot-1, 190-pound defensive back who entered the draft as a redshirt junior, forgoing his last season of eligibility with USC. He played high school ball at St. John Bosco High School and is from Bellflower, California.

He essentially declared for the draft prior to his final season even began. And while his final season ended up being nowhere near the lofty expectations he placed on himself, he still had a relatively solid season and was named a 2021 All-Pac-12 honorable mention and to the Phil Steele All-Pac-12 second team. He also made the 2020 All-Pac-12 second team and Phil Steele All-Pac-12 second team as a redshirt sophomore the previous season.

Steele only had two interceptions as a corner last year and only had three total in his collegiate career. He’s made 94 tackles in his career, with a high of 35 as a redshirt freshman in 2019. He was previously redshirted at Florida in 2018 prior to transferring to USC.

Similar to the offensive line, the secondary had been a position of need heading into the offseason that the Steelers have instead chosen to address through free agency.

Steele, UMass cornerback Bryce Watts and Robert Morris corner Tavin Harville were all signed as UDFAs on Saturday.

Prior to that, the team had signed Levi Wallace from the Buffalo Bills to add to their cornerback depth. The team also re-signed corner back Akhello Witherspoon, safety Miles Killebrew and safety Terrell Edmunds to new contracts.