Ike Taylor (6-foot-1, 191 pounds) is in the midst of a breakout year in just his third NFL season. The one-time project from Louisiana Lafayette is now the premier cornerback for a Steelers team that is a victory shy of qualifying for the postseason. Taylor has shadowed some of the top wideouts in the league this season, notably Cincinnati's Chad Johnson, who called Taylor one of the best he's seen. Johnson got stifled by Taylor in the first Steelers-Bengals game, finishing with four catches for 94 yards, including a meaningless 47-yarder in the waning moments of a 27-13 Steelers win. The flamboyant wideout was held to five catches for 54 yards in the second go-round, a 38-31 Bengals win at Heinz Field. Taylor has just one interception this season, but he's been around the ball more than any other Steelers defender, evidenced by his 24 pass breakups. But what makes Taylor just as valuable to the Steelers is his ability to come up and play the run. He ranks third on the team with 92 tackles and has recorded eight or more in six games this season.