NFL Draft preview: Deep wide receiver class can play to Steelers’ advantage
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As the NFL Draft approaches, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ need for a starting wide receiver is rising faster than the city’s three rivers during the recent flooding.
Since general manager Omar Khan shipped Diontae Johnson, the team’s longest-tenured pass catcher, to the Carolina Panthers a month ago, he has yet to acquire a player of similar skill. Although the Steelers have signed several veterans in free agency, they are considered complementary pieces who can round out the depth chart.
Barring a trade in the next week, the Steelers will try to find a receiver to pair with budding star George Pickens early in the draft. And, from a historical perspective, that makes perfect sense.
The Steelers have used even-numbered calendar years this decade to add to the receiver position in the second round. In 2020, it was Chase Claypool. In 2022, it was Pickens.
Before that, the Steelers made selecting a receiver on the second day of the draft a rite of passage. There was JuJu Smith-Schuster in 2017, James Washington in 2018 and Johnson in 2019.
“History tells me the Steelers aren’t afraid to be patient after the first round,” ESPN analyst Field Yates said. “I think the depth of this wide receiver class helps a team like the Steelers really well.”
The depth of the position is such that the Steelers can address tackle, center or even cornerback in the first round and then target a receiver in the second or third rounds when they hold the Nos. 51, 84 and 98 selections.
NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah has 12 wide receivers listed among his top 50 overall prospects as does Yates. ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. projects seven receivers being selected in the first round.
CBS Sports rated the wide receiver class as the deepest of all positions, and NFL Network has it listed as the second-strongest grouping.
“There are fifth-round kids who have a chance to become good, legit — maybe not Day 1 starters — but eventual starters in the NFL,” Yates said.
With two days remaining for NFL teams to host prospects for top-30 visits, the Steelers have allotted six of their 24 official visits to wide receivers: Florida’s Ricky Pearsall, South Carolina’s Xavier Legette, Western Kentucky’s Malachi Corley, Rice’s Luke McCaffrey, Texas’ Adoni Mitchell and Southern Cal’s Tahj Washington.
In his most recent mock, Kiper went off the board and had the Steelers selecting Washington’s Jalen McMillan with the No. 51 pick. Washington is 6-foot-1, 192 pounds and ran the 40-yard dash in 4.47 seconds at the NFL Combine.
“To me, he screams Mike Tomlin,” Kiper said. “He’s always open, has the ability. He’s not just a 5-10, 5-11 guy. He’s got length, catches everything and is a great route runner.”
The 5-11, 215-pound Corley is another intriguing option. In 2023, he totaled 79 catches, 894 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns to lead Conference USA. His NFL comparable player, according to the league’s draft site, is the San Francisco 49ers’ Deebo Samuel.
“He has big-time juice, big-time run-after-the-catch stuff,” Jeremiah said. “He is a total stud.”
Michigan’s Roman Wilson (5-11, 185) is another potential option for the second round. He led the national champions with 48 catches and totaled 789 yards while tying for ninth in the nation with 12 receiving touchdowns.
Unless an unexpected drop takes place, none of the top three receivers in the 2024 class will be around when the Steelers make their first pick at No. 20. Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison, LSU’s Malik Nabers and Washington’s Rome Odunze are candidates to go in the top 10.
The order in which they will be selected, though, is up for debate.
“You’re splitting hairs,” Kiper said. “I have them 3-4-5 on my board. I have them equal. … Put them in a hat and pick one, you’re going to be pretty satisfied.”
Had he been eligible in 2023, Harrison may have been the top receiver taken. He didn’t disappoint in his junior year, winning the Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s top receiver while becoming the first two-time 1,000-yard receiver in Ohio State history.
Nabers led the SEC with 89 catches, finished second in the nation with 1,569 receiving yards and was third with 14 touchdowns as a junior.
“He’s the most explosive player in this draft,” Yates said. “It’s not even close.”
Odunze (6-3, 212) had an FBS-high 1,640 receiving yards on 92 receptions. He had 13 touchdown catches while helping lead Washington to the national championship game.
“He has unbelievable tracking skills to go up and get those combat catches, and he’s physical,” Jeremiah said. “I see similarities to Larry Fitzgerald in terms of how he attacks the ball and goes up and gets it.”