Following the trade that sent Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers, the Pittsburgh Steelers have a large need at wide receiver opposite George Pickens. There are also needs along the offensive line, and the Steelers could very well use their first two picks on tackle and center, but where does that leave them at receiver?
Russell Wilson and Justin Fields are both on one-year deals, and they came very cheap. In theory, that should have allowed the Steelers to ensure they would have an adequate arsenal of offensive weapons to work with. Pickens had his first 1000-yard season last year, but he had the benefit of lining up opposite Johnson, who excels at getting open. If defenses can shift all their attention to Pickens, it might be tough sledding for the offense.
Daniel Jeremiah and Bucky Brooks, two former NFL scouts, talked about wide receivers extensively on their latest episode of Move The Sticks on Monday afternoon, and zeroed in on the Steelers’ WR situation.
“There is not enough here,” Jeremiah said. “There is not enough firepower, especially in the AFC that’s as stacked as it is…I don’t know if it’s at 20, we’ve been talking about offensive line for them potentially at 20. Maybe they go another direction. They need some impact. They need an impact receiver, man. Bad.”
“So what I’m hearing is you’re saying you wanna try out Brian Thomas Jr. and George Pickens,” Brooks said. “What did Russell have when he was at his best, right? And so then you look at, oh, he had a long receiver like DK Metcalf when he was throwing those deep balls…So maybe that is the way the Steelers go, saying, we’ll get outside. We can come back and get an interior blocker, a tackle or whatever in the second round and be able to do it.”
Suggesting the Steelers go after Thomas would almost certainly mean grabbing him in the first round and foregoing the offensive line until later. Dane Brugler has him as his No. 15 overall prospect in his annual release of “The Beast,” and Jeremiah himself has Thomas at No. 17 in his latest top-50 list.
If the Steelers are looking to replace Johnson’s skill set as an elite route runner, Thomas might not be the way to go, but he may fit better with the quarterbacks that the Steelers have on the roster. Wilson and Fields both excel at extending plays to allow these longer routes to develop, and they both have the arm talent to push the ball down the field.
Thomas had his best season in 2023 at LSU, with 68 receptions for 1,177 yards and a whopping 17 touchdowns catching passes from Jayden Daniels.
He measured in at 6027, 209 pounds with 32 3/4-inch arms, and ran a 4.33-second 40-yard dash. He has the height, weight and speed to place him near the top of the list of physical freaks at the position across the NFL. For comparison, Pickens was 6032, 195 pounds, with 32 3/8-inch arms and a 4.47-second 40-yard dash at the combine.
That would give the Steelers one of the most physically gifted WR tandems in the league, and allow for more Russell Wilson deep balls like this.
