Following the trade of veteran wide receiver Diontae Johnson away to the Carolina Panthers earlier in the week, the need for a wide receiver skyrocketed to near the top of the charts for the Pittsburgh Steelers this offseason.
Johnson, who served as the X in the Steelers’ offense due to his route running and ability to create separation at an elite level, was entering the final year of his contract. Prior to the trade, the Steelers reportedly had meetings with some of the top receivers in the 2024 NFL Draft class, which was rather surprising.
Now, though, it all makes sense.
But of those top receivers in the draft class, one landing in Pittsburgh would be the “worst landing spot” for him, according to Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine. That would be LSU wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr.
In a piece for Bleacher Report Saturday morning, Ballentine stated that Thomas landing in Pittsburgh, presumably in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft in late April, would be bad for the wide receiver prospect due to the presence of George Pickens already in Pittsburgh, as well as the style of play that the Steelers will likely be leaning into in 2024 and beyond under offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.
“The Steelers just traded away Diontae Johnson and don’t really have a replacement in place. So it won’t be surprising if we start to see wide receiver become a popular target in post-free agency mock drafts. It makes sense, but Thomas isn’t the right fit for what they need,” Ballentine writes regarding Thomas and a potential landing spot in Pittsburgh. “There’s too much overlap with George Pickens and the Steelers don’t figure to be a pass-heavy team. With Arthur Smith coming on to run the offense, the Steelers are likely to lean on their running back tandem of Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren.
“That doesn’t preclude them from needing a wide receiver, but it does mean that they wouldn’t be an ideal fit for Thomas. There won’t be enough deep targets to go around between him and Pickens.”
Thomas, who hauled in 127 career passes at LSU across three seasons for 1,897 yards and 24 touchdowns, is considered one of the top receiving prospects in the draft.
He measured in at 6027, 209 pounds with 32 3/4-inch arms, 9 3/4″ hands and ran a 4.33 40-yard dash, lighting up the Combine in Indianapolis.
Next to fellow top receiving prospect Malik Nabers at LSU, Thomas broke out in a major way in 2023, hauling in 68 passes for 1,177 yards and 17 touchdowns, which has put him on the radar as one of the best prospects in the draft class.
But that fit in Pittsburgh would be interesting.
According to the scouting report for Steelers Depot from Alex Kozora, Thomas is a big-bodied receiver who has all the tools and traits a team wants in the receiver, comparing him to former great receiver Julio Jones.
“Overall, Brian Thomas Jr. has all the tools and traits you want. While I usually ding players who struggle to separate, his game is still developing and his ability to drop his hips tells me he can make strides here. An offensive dynamo with production and effort, he’s full of upside. There simply aren’t many players with his frame and athleticism, making a Julio Jones comp a lofty ceiling but from a tools standpoint, very apt. A stacked receiver class with slightly more refined talent may be the only thing that pushes Thomas down a bit.”
The fit in Pittsburgh would be interesting as he doesn’t profile as a true X so he wouldn’t be a 1:1 fit for Johnson, and like Ballentine writes, he brings many of the same traits and play style to the table that Pickens does in Pittsburgh.
However, Smith likes his receivers to be big and physical, and Thomas fits that, as does Pickens. We’ll see what happens in the draft come late April, but Thomas could certainly do much worse than landing in Pittsburgh.
Thomas has been paired with the Steelers multiple times in mock drafts during the pre-draft process, once by The Athletic’s Dane Brugler and most recently by Kozora in his first mock draft of the year for the site. The Steelers had a formal meeting with Thomas at the Combine, so he’s certainly a name worth keeping an eye on throughout the rest of the pre-draft process.
