A Steelers Depot daily segment. A quick hit of some Pittsburgh Steelers-related stories that may not require a complete article but nuggets worth mentioning and passing on to you guys.
Your Depot After Dark for May 26.
QBs Under Pressure
Carter Donnick on X compiled a list of quarterbacks from 2023 with the difference between QB performance under pressure and the help (or lack of help) that they received from their receivers in those situations to try to determine which quarterbacks received the most and least variance from the performance of their pass catchers.
There were only three quarterbacks who threw fewer catchable passes under pressure than Kenny Pickett. At 61.00-percent, he was only better than Jared Goff, Matthew Stafford, and Bryce Young. His actual catch rate was 46.00-percent, so he was receiving roughly an average performance from his receivers.
Justin Fields (61.54) was only slightly better than Pickett, and Russell Wilson (65.22) was closer to the top third of the league under pressure. They both received more help from their receivers than Pickett.
Which QBs were helped the least and most when under pressure by their receivers last season?
“Catchable” indicates a catchable ball that might be tough to come down with, whereas “on-target” is a good throw that should be caught
*The higher the difference the less help they got pic.twitter.com/AFDsVUp9iX
— Carter Donnick (@CDonnick1) May 26, 2024
Hakeem Butler UFL
Former Steelers WR Hakeem Butler continues to lead the UFL in receiving yards with 618 and has the third-most receptions with 43. That is an impressive 14.4 yards per reception and he is tied for the second-most touchdowns with five. Joel Klatt made his UFL Award picks for the end-of-season honors, and chose Butler as his Offensive Player of the Year.
Do you agree with @joelklatt‘s 2024 UFL Award picks? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/JDZETNaoLj
— United Football League (@TheUFL) May 26, 2024
Moats Breaks Down Fautanu
The position that probably spends the most time watching tape of offensive tackles, other than maybe the tackles themselves, is the edge rushers and defensive ends that are tasked with going up against them. Former Steelers OLB Arthur Moats falls into that camp, so it is interesting to hear his perspective on Steelers first-round OT Troy Fautanu.
“So, as you can see, Troy Fautanu is a very, very versatile player,” Moats said in a video posted on his YouTube channel. “Reach blocking, pulling in space, pass pro, and that nastiness continues to show up on his tape. These are all the things you wanna see; all the reasons why we drafted him in the first round.”
