Texas Football: 5 former Longhorns facing NFL Preseason position battles
Nickelback/Safety. Rookie. PJ Locke III. 5. Pick Analysis. player. 55. Scouting Report
Position Battle: Nickelback/Safety
The Competition: Dravon Askew-Henry, Jordan Dangerfield
The Pittsburgh Steelers have a depth chart in the defensive backfield stacked with young talent just waiting to make an impact. One good candidate to win a starting job with the Steelers is the former nickelback starter for the Texas football team for the past three seasons P.J. Locke III.
The main competition for Locke III with the Steelers should be the former West Virginia Mountaineers safety Dravon Askew-Henry and San Francisco 49ers defensive back Jordan Dangerfield. Dangerfield is a former product of the Towson Tigers out of the FCS.
What could give Locke III an edge is the fact that the Steelers secondary has a similar scheme to that of the Longhorns defensive coordinator Todd Orlando. That should make it a smooth transition for Locke III after he was signed by the Steelers as an undrafted free agent this offseason.
What Locke III brings to the table for the Steelers is a reliable nickelback that will cover a lot of ground and knows the position well. Locke III wasn’t the most overwhelming defensive presence for the Longhorns, but he was a productive starter that mostly stayed healthy for a long time.