As if Friday wasn’t busy enough, the Pittsburgh Steelers placed the cherry on top of the news day by reportedly signing WR Van Jefferson. It’s not exactly news that’ll overshadow trading away your first-round quarterback, but news all the same. So, just like Patrick Queen, DeShon Elliott, Russell Wilson, Donte Jackson, and, of course, punter Cameron Johnston, we’re setting our sights on what Jefferson offers Pittsburgh.
Normally, I try to break these breakdowns into sub-sections as I did for Jackson, to make things more digestible for you and me. But for Jefferson, frankly, I don’t have much to say. At least based on his most recent tape, splitting 2023 with the Los Angeles Rams before being dealt to the Atlanta Falcons mid-way through the year.
Statistically, Jefferson’s numbers were tame, finishing with 20 receptions for 209 yards, ten first downs, and zero touchdowns. That wasn’t for an extreme lack of playing time. He logged 621 total offensive snaps. With the Falcons, where he caught only eight passes, he logged 356 of them.
Which is to say, there were plenty of empty snaps. I watched Van Jefferson and I was bored. There just wasn’t much going on.
The Tape
As for what I did see, Jefferson does have a good release package. He’s able to win off the line against press coverage. A couple of clips of that. He’s got quick feet and enough burst to win off the line. That makes him effective against man and in the red zone.
In the first Rams’ clip, he’s the No. 3 (furthermost inner) receiver to the top of the bunch. In the second on the goal line, he’s at the bottom. And in the third as a Falcon, he’s slot to the bottom.
When he did catch the ball, much of it came underneath. There were lots of hitches and zone-sits, which is why he averaged only 10.4 yards per reception across 2023, a number that dipped to 8.4 as a Falcon. He could also do a better job getting vertical upfield, “quick to the tuck,” as the term goes, to squeeze out an extra yard or two.
In one of his most active games of the season, all three of his receptions against the Chicago Bears came on curls/zone sits.
He did catch a long over/post route as a member of the Falcons, beating zone coverage and making the grab on a great ball by QB Matthew Stafford.
Jefferson is a willing blocker, which goes back to our college scouting report on him, though he was prone to falling off blocks.
While Jefferson can win off the line, his long speed isn’t there like it arguably once was (he never officially ran a 40 in the pre-draft process due to a foot injury). And most of his routes were just empty. Partially due to a lack of skill and partially due to playing half the season for the Falcons with shoddy quarterback play and a tight end/run-heavy offense. Other than off the line, a lack of separation is also an issue and he struggles to show great burst at the top of his routes or any dynamic traits athletically to win.
The Data
Statistically, I pulled data from Trumedia to break down the routes Jefferson ran in 2023. Here were his top routes.
Go – 77
Hitch – 74
Corner – 44
In – 40
Post – 38
Cross – 36
Slant – 19
Screen – 2
Comeback – 1
There is a decent variety, though go and hitches are clearly the top two spots. These feel like mostly sight adjustments, breaking off a route if the corner is loose or if Jefferson can’t be at least even with him or running/converting vertically when he is.
Taking it a step further, and to quantify the “empty routes” on tape, I used Trumedia to pull Jefferson’s yards per route run data. A measure of efficiency, yards gained related to pass routes. The higher the number, the better. For Jefferson, that number is low. He came in at 0.56 yards per route run, an abysmal figure.
Of the 150 wide receivers who ran at least 100 routes in 2023, Jefferson’s 0.56 yards/route run was tied for 141st. The only players he topped were Houston’s Xavier Hutchinson, Philadelphia’s Olamide Zaccheaus, Los Angeles Chargers’ Jaylen Guyton, Buffalo’s Trent Sherfield, Philadelphia’s Julio Jones, Jacksonville’s Tim Jones, New York Jets’ Jason Brownlee, and the New York Jets’ Randall Cobb. Far from elite company.
Comparing Jefferson to Allen Robinson II, last year’s “empty route” guy in Pittsburgh, Robinson came in 0.7 yards per route. Not great, but better. And Robinson was an afterthought and possession receiver. Still beats Jefferson.
In the big picture, of all players regardless of position who ran 100-plus routes last season, Jefferson finished 272nd out of 289 qualifiers. Let’s compare him to all the qualified Steelers and Falcons receivers to see where he stacks up.
| Player | Yards/Route Run | 2023 Rank |
|---|---|---|
| George Pickens/PIT | 2.12 | 19th |
| Diontae Johnson/PIT | 1.97 | 33rd |
| Drake London/ATL | 1.87 | 39th |
| Mack Hollins/ATL | 1.57 | 69th |
| KhaDarel Hodge/ATL | 1.27 | 123rd |
| Scotty Miller/ATL | 1.26 | 128th |
| Calvin Austin III/PIT | 0.79 | 223rd |
| Allen Robinson II/PIT | 0.7 | 244th |
| Van Jefferson/ATL | 0.56 | 272nd |
Jefferson finishing last by a considerable margin. George Pickens and the now-departed Diontae Johnson lead the list, while Drake London finished on top for the Falcons. While Atlanta’s numbers overall were putrid (and you thought watching the Steelers’ passing game was tough), Jefferson still lags far behind Hollins, Hodge, and Miller. His numbers are worse by more than half. If you’re curious, Jefferson’s 2022 number came in 1.23 yards per route, ranking 137th. Better, but far from good.
All of that is to make the same point. Jefferson was unproductive and inefficient last year. To give some grace, Jefferson had to adjust to a new team mid-season, but his arrow has been pointing down since his high watermark of 50/802/6 in 2021 with the Rams.
What about special teams? Can Jefferson be Miles Boykin? No. Jefferson has logged six special teams snaps since 2021 and zero last season. He did have 108 of them in 2020, a plurality of them coming on kick return (180), though he was not the Rams’ actual kick returner.
At the least, Jefferson can move around the formation. In 2023, he played 394 snaps on the outside, with 226 in the slot. In 2022, his outside/slot split was 378 to 118. Overall, more outside reps, but he can shift around the formation, which is useful.
Final Thoughts
Jefferson’s signing likely came as cheap depth and his connection to Steelers’ OC Arthur Smith. That familiarity helps. And there was a time three years ago were Jefferson was a potent aspect of the Rams’ offense. At best, he is a No. 4 option who can wear a couple of different hats for the offense. Sit down against zone, block a bit, and absorb some reps. But in no way should or will prevent the Steelers from adding a high-prized receiver, most likely through the draft. Jefferson is not that guy.
If we make some assumptions about the team right now, here’s what a wide receiver depth chart could look like:
1. George Pickens
2. High-prized WR (likely a top draft pick)
3. Calvin Austin III
4. Van Jefferson
5. Vet/Draft Pick/Camp Emergence (who can play special teams)
And the bottom three could get shifted around based on what else happens. If the Steelers add another receiver, a truer slot option like Tyler Boyd, then Jefferson could be squeezed out.
But in a Smith offense that runs the lowest amount of 11 personnel and loves to run the ball, the Steelers may be content with mediocre receiver depth. Van Jefferson is that type of signing.
