Trice Looking Nice in Year Three Comeback with Steelers

by Bo Marchionte
@bomarchionte | College2Pro.com
Published June 4, 2025, 2:04 PM

Pittsburgh, PA – It’s not often that the 241st pick in the NFL Draft suffers a devastating knee injury during training camp and still remains part of the long-term vision for the team that drafted him. But Cory Trice is not your typical seventh-rounder.

The former Purdue Boilermaker defensive back was selected late in the 2023 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers, a team known for unearthing gems in the later rounds. Still, for Trice, a torn ACL on August 2 of his rookie training camp cast immediate doubt on whether he’d ever get the chance to prove Pittsburgh right for taking a chance on him.

I remember my friend and his agent, Justin VanFulpen, was there at camp that day. He came to enjoy the atmosphere in Latrobe at Saint Vincent College and support his guy. Then the injury happened, and redirected Trice to once again persevere.

Trice was placed on injured reserve and missed the entire 2023 season. For many late-round picks, especially ones facing a major injury before their first snap, the NFL dream ends there. But not for Trice.

Now, in 2025, he’s finally healthy and finally contributing. After returning to the field in 2024, he appeared in six games this past season, even starting one and notching an interception. That might seem modest to some, but in the NFL, especially for a seventh-round pick, that’s evidence of grit, patience, and untapped potential.

“Man, feel good,” Trice said after a recent OTA session. “You already know I’m full throttle. Trying to put my best foot forward every day. Just showing up every day so I get better, man. You know, I can be one of the best in the game right now. So now I’m just showing up, learning my plays, staying healthy putting my hand in the power to help the team win.”

This offseason, Trice added another dimension to his preparation bulking up his already impressive frame to handle the long grind of an NFL season.

“It was more something I wanted to, you know, put some little more weight on,” Trice explained. “Just I see how long the season is. And, you know, if they ask me do anything, I feel like I can be ready for it. So ain’t nobody running past me. I really don’t worry about my weight. You feel me?”

The 6-foot-3 converted safety who moved to cornerback at Purdue brings a rare physical profile—long arms, fluid hips, and a 4.47 forty. His size-speed combination alone draws intrigue. As for his weight? Trice jokes he’s “two-something,” wanting to keep the exact number a mystery.

But numbers alone don’t make the player. What sets Trice apart is how he responded to adversity—not once, but twice. Before his NFL injury, he also tore his ACL in college, limiting him to just two games in 2021.

“Oh, yeah, for sure, it definitely benefited me mentally,” Trice said of the most recent setback. “Showing that I can come back from anything once again. It helped me slow the game down, gave me time in the film room. Now I’m more comfortable when I’m out there.”

His lasting power is even more remarkable when you consider the odds. Seventh-round picks are often afterthoughts, viewed as training camp bodies or longshots for special teams’ roles. Add a major injury before your first preseason snap, and the mountain gets steeper. Yet, through it all, the Steelers never cut bait. That says something.

Now, in year three, Trice is dreaming big and starting to see those dreams take shape.

“You talk about writing the script on the season?” he said with a huge grin. “Man, if it was up to me, I’d be out there every week, helping the team win. Just making sure they can trust me when my number’s called. Can you believe it’s already year three? Year one was like, ‘Dang, God.’ Year two, I’m getting my feet wet. Now here we are, and I’m just ready to show the world what I’m made of.”

For a team that has needed consistency and physicality at cornerback, the combination of Joey Porter Jr. and Trice is an intriguing one. Both are long, aggressive, and capable of disrupting passing lanes. While Porter grabbed headlines as a high draft pick, Trice’s quiet determination has made him a player worth watching.

His journey is a reminder that the draft position isn’t destiny and that toughness, both physical and mental, can carve a path where there was none. The Steelers saw something in Trice when they called his name at pick 241. Two years and one knee injury later, they’re finally starting to see the return on that investment.

And you can’t help but root for him.

Photo Credit Frank Hyatt/College2Pro.com