The Pittsburgh Steelers traded WR Diontae Johnson during the first week of free agency. This came after the Steelers spent a lot of time at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine meeting with top wide receivers in the draft. It seemed odd with Johnson still on the roster, but now it is clear that WR is a top need for the team and one that will likely be addressed early in the 2024 NFL Draft. Tony Pauline posted a Texas Pro Day update on Thursday morning on Sportskeeda, and the Steelers appear to be showing heavy interest in WR Xavier Worthy.
“Worthy was with the Cowboys on Tuesday night after spending the bulk of Monday afternoon with the Bears, Texans, and Patriots,” Pauline wrote. “After practice Wednesday, he met extensively with the Steelers and Colts.”
Through our tracking here on the site to see which coaches or scouts attend each pro day, WR coach Zach Azzanni was at Texas. The Longhorns have both Worthy and AD Mitchell as top WR options in this draft class.
Worthy put the league on notice with a Combine record in the 40-yard dash. He ran a blazing-fast time of 4.21 seconds. Here is a clip of his run from Adam Schefter on X.
Azzanni was just brought in as the new WR coach after the team moved on from Frisman Jackson this offseason. His presence at the pro day tells you exactly what position the Steelers are interested in from the Texas crop of talents. Many would have thought Mitchell was the primary interest, especially with them holding a formal meeting with him at the Combine, but Worthy seemed to be getting more of the attention at Texas’ Pro Day.
Our Alex Kozora recently wrote about the Steelers’ need for speed on both sides of the football. Worthy would certainly provide that. They already have Calvin Austin III, who ran a 4.32 at the Combine in 2022, so adding Worthy would give them two speedsters in the room.
Here is more from Pauline on Worthy from the pro day.
“The explosive receiver tipped the scales at 169 pounds, four more than his combine weight,” Pauline said. “Worthy then looked terrific in position drills. He ran great routes, translated his track speed onto the field and caught everything thrown to him. His hands were very impressive, as Worthy consistently snatched the ball away from his frame and had no bobbles.”
His frame is a bit of a concern at just 169 pounds, which makes him only slightly heavier than Austin. But new Steelers QB Russell Wilson has always thrown a pretty deep ball. If he can push the ball down the field, Worthy would give him multiple options to stretch defenses.
Check out our Jonathan Heitritter’s full scouting report here:
