Antonio Brown is no longer a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers, so how
does the wide receiver group stack up now?
In the waning days of the 2018 NFL season, when Steelers
wide receiver Antonio Brown sat out the final game of the season, it started to
become clear that the team viewed him as a distraction – a problem. Now? He’s
gone, shipped off to the Oakland Raiders for
2019 third-round and fifth-round picks.
His absence causes a huge problem for General Manager Kevin
Colbert and company: who will be catching passes from quarterback Ben
Roethlisberger this season?
We already know the partial answer to this question.
JuJu Smith-Schuster enjoyed a strong second season, breaking out to the
tune of 111 receptions, 1,426 yards, along with seven touchdowns. At this
point, it seems a foregone conclusion that he’ll be taking on Brown’s top role
in terms of volume, but given his production, it would be in the Steelers’ best
interests to keep Smith-Schuster in the slot, and find someone else to take
over that ‘X-receiver’ role to keep the pressure off.
Last year’s second-round pick, James Washington, one of only
a couple other receivers on the roster, is the primary candidate to get
increased looks and touches. Despite an underwhelming rookie campaign – he
caught only 16 of 38 targets for 217 yards and a touchdown in 2018 — Colbert
clearly feels that Washington still has the potential to be a great NFL player.
The Steelers are going to do their best to incorporate Ryan
Switzer and newcomer Donte Moncrief, but if there’s one thing the Steelers and
their scouting department have done extremely well over the last 15 years, it
is drafting productive wide receivers. Plaxico Burress, Santonio Holmes, Mike
Wallace, and Emmanuel Sanders all come to mind as recent Pittsburgh draft picks
who have enjoyed success in the NFL.
Assuming top prospect D.K. Metcalf is taken early on, look
for the Steelers to have some interest in Iowa State product Hakeem Butler.
Standing at 6-foot-5 and 227 pounds, the former Cyclone racked up 60
receptions, 1,318 yards, nine touchdowns in his junior season – he would be a
matchup problem for most cornerbacks, and would be a great target on the
outside to pair with Smith-Schuster.
Armed with four picks in the first three rounds, including
the 20th-overall pick, it’s a safe bet that Colbert adds to the receiver group
when the 2019 NFL Draft kicks off on Thursday, April 25.
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