The Pittsburgh Steelers have a decorated history at the wide receiver position. However, they were looking at a depleted room after trading WR Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers this offseason. There was even talk about the room being bottom-five in the league even after signing players like Quez Watkins and Van Jefferson. So the Steelers added WR Roman Wilson in the third round of the draft. One NFL analyst invoked legendary Steelers receiver Hines Ward when discussing Wilson.
On Monday’s episode of the NFL on FOX Podcast, host Dave Helman broke down the 2024 NFL Draft. He loved what the Steelers did in terms of addressing the offensive line. He also loved them taking Wilson and sees some similarities between him and Ward.
“This just feels like a Pittsburgh pick,” Helman said. “Very Hines Ward-y in my opinion. Roman Wilson can play everywhere… He’s gritty, does the dirty work. Promise you, he’s going to lay a block or two over the course of his rookie year.”
That’s a big name to bring up for a third-round rookie. However, the two are similar in terms of their physical stature. Both Ward and Wilson were undersized when people think about elite wide receivers.
Hopefully, Steelers fans don’t expect Wilson to be Ward out of the gates. They would do well to remember that Ward wasn’t Ward early on either. He didn’t register more than 61 receptions in a season until his fourth year. He didn’t even catch a touchdown as a rookie. However, he went on to have a Hall of Fame career with 1,000 catches for 12,083 yards and 85 touchdowns in the regular season.
Then Ward proved himself to be a Steelers legend in the playoffs with 88 receptions for 1,181 yards and 10 touchdowns en route to helping the Steelers win two Super Bowls during his career. No one should invoke that name lightly when it comes to a rookie.
Helman’s not the only one who sees Hines Ward in Roman Wilson, either. NFL insider Tony Pauline said after the pick that the Steelers see Ward in Wilson as well.
When you look at how the two approach the game, you can see that Wilson does bring some of that same mentality Ward had. While Ward had phenomenal receiving stats, he was also a very capable and willing blocker on the field. He was not afraid to throw his body around to lay out linebackers and defensive backs to open up lanes for his running backs.
Wilson sat down with the Draft Network a couple of weeks before the draft, and he discussed the mentality that Michigan instills in the wide receivers: “No block, no rock.” Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith wants receivers who will block in the running game, and Wilson will certainly do that.
When Jonathan Heitritter scouted Wilson for Steelers Depot, he discussed how Wilson came out of college already a skilled route runner. However, Wilson’s blocking in the run game stuck out to Heitritter as well. He called him one of the best blockers in the draft and highlighted a rep in which Wilson put a safety into the ground with a block.
If great route-running and planting defenders into the ground in the run game doesn’t sound a bit like Hines Ward, I don’t know what does. Even if Wilson goes on to have half the career Ward did, that’s a phenomenal pick in the third round. Which, by the way, is the same round the Steelers drafted Hines Ward in during the 1998 NFL Draft.
You can watch the entire episode of the NFL on FOX Podcast, including Helman’s thoughts on the work the Steelers did on the offensive line, below:
