The Pittsburgh Steelers used their second-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft on WR James Washington. The next pick, the Jacksonville Jaguars took D.J. Chark Jr. At the time, Chark thought there was a chance that he was going to end up in the Black and Gold. He told this story while appearing on a recent episode of Punch Line Podcast with Marlon Humphrey.
“I had an idea. I said, ‘Maybe I’ll go to Pittsburgh,'” Chark said in a video of the podcast posted on YouTube. “They actually picked before me. The pick before I got picked to Jacksonville, they picked James Washington. So when it was coming up, I was like okay, I had a good relationship with them talking to them. My phone rang, and I thought it was them, but I saw [area code] 904.”
Leading up to the 2018 draft, the Steelers showed interest in some of the receiver talent. It didn’t seem like a huge need with Antonio Brown still on the roster and JuJu Smith-Schuster drafted the year prior, and they had Eli Rogers and Darrius Heyward-Bey to round out the group. But they also had Martavis Bryant, Markus Wheaton, and Sammie Coates exit the team over the previous two years. As the Steelers were known for under GM Kevin Colbert, they continued to stock the WR shelves with the selection of Washington in the second round.
Chark played at LSU, and the Steelers had a heavy presence that year at LSU’s Pro Day. Tomlin and Colbert were both on site, and as Chark mentioned in the podcast he liked how some of the conversations went with the team. Coincidentally, CB Donte Jackson was also participating at that pro day and the Steelers just traded with the Carolina Panthers to acquire him in return for Diontae Johnson.
Washington had one decent year in 2019, the same year that Chark ended up making the Pro Bowl with 1,008 yards and eight touchdowns as a member of the Jaguars. Overall, production over the course of their respective rookie contracts was similar to each other, but injuries derailed Washington’s career. He bounced around a few different organizations last season after fracturing his foot in training camp with the Dallas Cowboys in 2022. Chark on the other hand started 15 games for the Panthers in 2023 and had 35 receptions for 525 yards and five touchdowns.
He is currently a free agent in a dwindling market for available receivers. The Steelers are still in need of a receiver after trading Johnson, and Chark could be an option. Otherwise, they will enter the 2024 NFL Draft with WR near the top of their list of needs, and one could conceivably be taken in the first round.
