Steelers Prospect Watch: Kendall Fuller

With the combine this weekend, will the Steelers be scouting an upgrade at corner?

One of the main questions for the Pittsburgh Steelers this off-season is how will they go about fixing the secondary.  Is it best to do it through the draft or free agency?

We have explored several corner prospects over the past few weeks.  Each would be a tremendous upgrade to what is already on the Steelers roster.

Today we will examine another possible addition at cornerback: Virginia Tech’s Kendall Fuller.   And I know you are thinking, yes there is already a Fuller playing cornerback in the NFL.  Kendall’s brother Kyle is a Pro Bowl player for the Chicago Bears.

But wait, there’s more.  His other brother Corey is currently a wide out for the Detroit Lions.  His oldest brother Vincent played seven seasons in the league as a safety, retiring in 2011.

Though he may not be drafted as high as his brother Kyle was (14^th in 2014), Kendall has all the tools to be just as impactful as his older sibling.  The brothers did spend one season together at Virginia Tech in 2013 and boy did this dynamic duo tear up the ACC.

That season Kendall burst onto the scene as a freshman playing opposite his brother.  The younger Fuller would snag 6 picks and 11 passes defended earning him ACC defensive rookie of the year.  This sophomore season saw Fuller’s interception total dip to only 2, but he improved his passes defended to 13.  He was named All-ACC first team for his efforts.

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Fuller’s 2015 season hit a snag in fall camp.  The young corner suffered a torn meniscus, putting his junior season in doubt.  Despite the injury, Fuller played through the injury, but was shut down after three games to have surgery.

This isn’t the first time Fuller has played through injury.  He played through a fractured wrist in 2014.  Fuller definitely has a high pain tolerance, something Steeler fans always respect.

Fuller possesses some of the best read and react skills of any corner in this draft.  This allows him to play aggressive with the receiver , but he does need to improve his jam skills at the line of scrimmage.  Too many times Fuller has been burned by the vertical passing game.

But don’t let that scare you away from this young star.  Fuller just turned 21 years old a few weeks ago.  He has all the potential in the world to grow into one of the top cornerbacks in this league.

Next: Steelers Prospect Watch: Hunter Henry

His brother did start right away for the Bears in his rookie season.   Kendall could be able to do the same, but coming off injury teams might want to take it slow with him.  For a team like the Steelers, bringing Fuller on quickly could benefit them in Week 1 if he is 100% healthy.