by Bo Marchionte
@bomarchionte | College2Pro.com
Published July 27, 2026, 1:49 PM
Sunday Is on the Horizon for Rookie Daylen Everette
NFL bodies come in all shapes and sizes.
DK Metcalf without a shirt looks carved out of granite. Others are remarkably ordinary looking. Then there’s Steelers rookie Daylen Everette, who looks every bit like somebody built a cornerback in a laboratory.
Hovering near 6-foot-2 and weighing 196 pounds, Everette ran a 4.3 forty at the NFL Combine earlier this year. The numbers alone create some excitement around Pittsburgh’s third-round pick out of Georgia.
Now comes the part that matters.
Sunday.
“You know, Sunday is one of the things I’ve been dreaming of since a kid,” Everette said. “Finally having the opportunity to go out there for the first game, it’s definitely a crazy moment. Definitely excited for it.”
I’m excited myself.
Much has been made and rightfully so about Joey Porter Jr. potentially suiting up against Atlanta in Week 1 while his contract situation continues to hover over the organization. Asante Samuel Jr. sits next in line if Porter doesn’t play.
That leads us back to Everette.
Truth be told, and probably to his benefit, Everette remained largely unnoticed throughout the summer.
That’s A Compliment
He quietly stacked one good day on top of another. There wasn’t the spectacular interception followed 15 minutes later by some assignment that left a coach throwing his hands in the air. Everette simply kept showing up, taking his reps and avoiding the kind of boneheaded mistakes that get rookies noticed for all the wrong reasons.
That isn’t to say he’s a flawless prospect. He isn’t.
There’s plenty of work ahead before anyone should expect him to routinely handle true No. 1 NFL receivers. But Pittsburgh has surrounded him with a secondary full of people who have already learned those lessons the hard way.
Everette has been listening.
“You know, I try to gravitate towards all the vet DBs,” Everette said of the Steelers secondary. “Pretty much all of them. It’s hard to name just one because a lot of them are very helpful when trying to learn.”
And the education goes beyond X’s and O’s.
“Even just like mindset things and just learning overall football,” Everette said. “Because, you know, it’s a lot of vets in the room that’s had almost 10-plus years, like six-plus years of experience. So just trying to take everything in from there as I can to better my game. It’s definitely a great help.”
One important piece of information remained.
So, you got a nickname?
“Uh, just Day Day or Day. Either one of those,” Everette replied from the chair stationed in front of his locker.
Someday has arrived for Day Day.
When Sunday arrives, the former Georgia defensive back won’t need much convincing that he belongs on the field. There’s a quietness to Everette when he talks, but apparently that changes once somebody snaps the football.
“I mean, my mindset, I’m locked in,” Everette said. “So, you know, I try to let my play do the talking. Then, you know, after the play, maybe I’ll get a little juiced up once I make the play and stuff like that.”
That might be the most interesting part of Everette entering Week 1.
The Steelers spent the summer watching the measurable stuff 6-foot-2, 196 pounds and 4.3 speed turn into something considerably more useful: dependable football.
Sunday, Everette finally gets to introduce the rest of us to the player Pittsburgh has been quietly watching all summer.
Day Day doesn’t sound particularly interested in doing much talking.
Good.
Let’s see what happens when they snap it.
Daylen Everette College Bio
- School: Georgia
- Games: 55
- Combined Tackles: 107
- Tackles For Loss: 5
- Sacks: 1
- Interceptions: 5
- Passes Defended: 19
Photo Credit Frank Hyatt/College2Pro.com
