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Should Pittsburgh Steelers risk drafting Marcus Peters?

By Brian Spaen

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Some mock drafts have the Pittsburgh Steelers picking cornerback Marcus Peters. There’s a huge need at secondary for the Steelers, but will a team that generally doesn’t gamble with personality issues risk taking him?

Peters, who was a standout cornerback in the first half of the season, decided to declare for the NFL Draft after being kicked off of the Washington Huskies back on November 6th. It wasn’t just one problem that caused the dismissal, it was multiple issues. Head coach Chris Petersen took the higher road and wouldn’t dive into the details of tossing the cornerback off the team.

"“It’s unfortunate, but we’ve got certain standards and operating procedures,” Petersen said. “We’re trying to do something special here. Sometimes it just doesn’t work out. Like I said, we wish him the best. It’s always a hard thing — worst part of the job, without question.”"

A notable problem happened back in September when he was suspended for a game after throwing a temper tantrum during the game against Eastern Washington. He blew up on the sideline after head-butting an opposing receiver. Before the dismissal, Peters had three picks, deflected 10 passes, and had 30 tackles (four tackles for loss) in eight games.

Peters’ background got worse. An NFC East scout gave high praise on the cornerback saying he was the best prospect he’s seen in the last 14 years. However, that praise came with a heavy anchor.

"The veteran scout said he witnessed one argument escalate into much more; Peters grabbed the assistant coach by the throat and started choking him, the scout reported. Peters will have a lot to answer for between now and the draft."

Washington defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski threw an expletive out on the situation and said that Peters never was in a physical spat with a coach. Unfortunately, here’s more problems that Peters had in his final moments with the Huskies.

  • Peters was yelling at the coaches during the game against Colorado.
  • Skipped practice.
  • Was seen yelling at an assistant coach during a practice.

It’s unknown where the altercation with the assistant coach exactly took place. However, with visual evidence and this list on how Peters couldn’t keep his cool, it’s hard not to side more with the scout.

These issues are why it may not be likely that the Steelers will pick the highly-touted cornerback up. Pittsburgh generally tends to pick up players that both have the talent to play in the NFL along with being smart. The cornerback hasn’t been committing crimes, but not being able to keep his cool with coaches would become nothing but a distraction and would far outweight the positives he shows on the field.

If the Steelers are looking at fixing up their secondary, there are other solid options on the table. Trae Waynes from Michigan State will likely not last past the first 20 picks, but if he’s still around at 22nd overall, it would be a steal. Another similar CB that has similar vitals and a year more of experience than Peters is Quinten Rollins from Miami (OH).

Peters looks to be extremely promising, but he needs to show that he’s grown up in just a few short months.

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