The pending trade Tuesday afternoon by the Pittsburgh Steelers for veteran wide receiver Allen Robinson from the Los Angeles Rams in a seventh-round pick swap was rather stunning, but the move addressed a major need for the franchise, that being a No. 3 wide receiver.
Despite plugging a hole ahead of the draft and shoring up the depth chart in the Steel City, the Steelers might not be done at the position, according to Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Steelers beat writer Ray Fittipaldo.
Appearing on The Fan Morning Show on 93.7 FM Wednesday morning, Fittipaldo stated that while the wide receiver room feels a bit crowded now with Robinson joining Diontae Johnson, George Pickens, Calvin Austin III, Anthony Miller, Gunner Olszewski and Cody White, the franchise could still address the position in the 2023 NFL Draft.
“Maybe fourth round or after, I think,” Fittipaldo said Wednesday regarding the Steelers potentially drafting a receiver, according to audio via 93.7 The Fan. “It’s starting to get a bit crowded in that room, just naming the top four. I don’t know if Anthony Miller is going to make the team. I don’t know if Gunner [Olszewksi] is going to make the team.
“I suppose you could draft a guy in the fourth round or with one of those two seventh-round picks and see if he can knock off one of those two guys — maybe you wanna get younger there. But yeah, I don’t think it’s in play, certainly not early. …I suppose anything third round and on, they could still pick a guy and try and develop him behind those guys.”
What once was a massive need for the Steelers certainly doesn’t feel that way now. Robinson is just 29, and though he is coming off two down seasons (2021 in Chicago and 2022 in Los Angeles), he’s still a good football player with an intriguing package of size and speed at the position.
He just might be that bully-ball receiver the Steelers were hoping Chase Claypool could be before ultimately shipping him out of town.
While the room does feel crowded, the Steelers certainly did their due diligence on some interesting receivers in the class. That includes the likes of Tennessee’s Cedric Tillman, Ole Miss’ Jonathan Mingo, West Virginia’s Bryce Ford-Wheaton, Michigan State’s Jayden Reed, and Purdue’s Charlie Jones, all of whom came to town for pre-draft visits.
It is certainly possible that the Steelers still take a swing on a receiver next week in the draft. But based on how the depth chart looks currently, it might be a luxury pick that is unnecessary, at least for this season.
