The Pittsburgh Steelers need to add weapons to their wide receiver room to give new QBs Russell Wilson and Justin Fields the best chance to succeed in new OC Arthur Smith’s offense. Even if they sign a free agent at the position, it is still likely they will target one in the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft.
Coincidentally, word has it that they are great at drafting players at this particular position. So, I’ve been told.
This narrative prompted me to take a little dive into this notion and see if it truly holds water or if this is some kind of myth that has been perpetuated throughout the years. Let’s take a closer look.
In the Mike Tomlin era, starting in 2007, the Steelers have drafted 17 wide receivers. I took the liberty of breaking these players into three categories: Money, meh, and misses. Here they are:
Money
| Player | Year Drafted | Round Drafted | Years With Steelers |
| Mike Wallace | 2009 | 3rd | 4 |
| Emmanuel Sanders | 2010 | 3rd | 4 |
| Antonio Brown | 2010 | 6th | 9 |
| Martavis Bryant | 2014 | 4th | 4 |
| JuJu Smith-Schuster | 2017 | 2nd | 5 |
| Diontae Johnson | 2019 | 3rd | 5 |
| George Pickens | 2022 | 2nd | 2 |
Meh
| Markus Wheaton | 2013 | 3rd | 4 |
| James Washington | 2018 | 2nd | 4 |
| Chase Claypool | 2020 | 2nd | 3 |
| Calvin Austin III | 2022 | 4th | 2 |
Misses
| Dallas Baker | 2007 | 7th | 3* |
| Limas Sweed | 2008 | 2nd | 4 |
| Toney Clemons | 2012 | 7th | 1/2** |
| Justin Brown | 2013 | 6th | 2 |
| Sammie Coates | 2015 | 3rd | 2 |
| Demarcus Ayers | 2016 | 7th | 1 |
*Spent most of his time with Steelers on their practice squad.
** Signed by Jaguars off practice squad mid-way through rookie season
So, as I see it, out of 17 WRs drafted, seven were hits, four were meh, and six were misses. Does that qualify the Steelers as being great at drafting receivers? Let’s break it down further.
The misses: We can’t hold it against the Steelers that four of the misses were drafted in the sixth and seventh rounds. At that point, you’re taking a flyer on a guy. To get a guy like Antonio Brown is an anomaly. You’re not expecting those guys to be great.
However, we can ding them for Limas Sweed and Sammie Coates, guys drafted in the second and third rounds, respectively. You can’t miss on those picks very often and be a competitive franchise. Luckily, those misses have not been very frequent at the WR position.
The meh: These picks were a little more troubling to me because they were second or -or third-round picks except for Calvin Austin III (fourth), and the jury is still out on him. But Wheaton, Washington, and Claypool were taken at picks where you ideally want a guy who will make an impact and solidify the position for several years. None of those names panned out in that regard.
These four names don’t qualify the Steelers as great when it comes to drafting receivers. Thus far, 10 out of 17 players don’t look all that exceptional. So, let’s look at the final tier.
The money: The “Young Money Crew” was promising. Mike Wallace, Emmanuel Sanders, and AB were really exciting. They looked like a group that could be electric for years to come. However, Wallace and Sanders only stayed with the team for four years each.
Wallace believed he was worth more than what Pittsburgh was offering, so he left, and the Steelers gave Brown a five-year deal instead. Sanders became expendable after the Steelers drafted Markus Wheaton, and he also left after his rookie contract expired.
Martavis Bryant looked like an absolute phenom and had some incredible moments, but unfortunately, off-the-field issues led to a year-long suspension in 2016 and then a five-year suspension from the league later. He really only had two years in Pittsburgh. Not a great outcome but he qualifies for this tier because the Steelers were able to flip him for a third-round pick.
JuJu Smith-Schuster and Diontae Johnson both played five years in Pittsburgh. They both showed flashes of greatness but were mostly good to average. Both came with plenty of issues that caused grumbling among the Steelers’ faithful.
Smith-Schuster with his TikToks and untimely mishaps in big situations. Johnson, with his drop issues, quitting on plays, and arguments with teammates. I have them as hits, but were they great? I don’t think so.
The early reviews for George Pickens are promising. He certainly shows flashes of greatness in spite of a horrible offense and less-than-desirable quarterback play, but it’s too soon to tell.
Brown is, without a doubt, the epitome of greatness. He is arguably the greatest receiver in franchise history, and he was drafted in the sixth round. This pick definitely qualifies as great, even with latter stages of his career devolving into a one-man circus.
So, after breaking down the WRs who have been drafted in the Tomlin era, are the Steelers great at drafting the position? I’ll leave that up to you fine folks to argue about in the comments.
One last thing I will leave you with. Of the seven players I deemed money, I averaged their draft position to find the Steelers’ sweet spot for drafting receivers and came up with 3.3. So, when the Steelers draft this year, look for them to try and find their next hit around the third round. That’s been their wheelhouse since Tomlin joined the organization and with this draft particularly deep at wide receiver that might be the perfect spot to pick one. It is also worth noting that the Steelers have two third-round picks this year, the extra one coming in the Kenny Pickett trade.
Hopefully, the Steelers find their next playmaker who helps make them contenders and not the next Limas Sweed. I couldn’t be more excited to find out.
