Will WR Roman Wilson end up primarily as a slot receiver?
The Pittsburgh Steelers believe that rookie WR Roman Wilson has a well-rounded game. While he’s not the biggest player, he is physical and willing to block and hand-fight. And even if he isn’t a physical freak, he’s big enough to survive on the outside in the NFL.
With that being said, there are reasons to question if he isn’t more suited for the slot at this level. After all, he mostly played in the slot at Michigan the last two years, so there’s no cause for surprise. On top of that, he has his struggles working off press coverage, and his routes that he hits best lend toward slot player over the outside. Conversely, the routes on which he has the least success tend to favor the outside.
None of this means that he can’t thrive on the outside in the NFL, let alone merely survive. But there is room to question how well he can do it. We had similar questions about JuJu Smith-Schuster, who had a clear size advantage, though not speed.
Many point to Antonio Brown as a size comparison for Roman Wilson, but few players got off the line better than Brown. You can’t press somebody if you can’t get in their way. Wilson has some nifty moves, but defensive backs get their hands on him.
I suspect one of the Steelers’ main objectives this offseason is to find out how well Roman Wilson works outside. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with finding a good slot receiver in the third round. But with the team’s current depth chart, it almost seems as if they need him to be more.
You generally don’t have a wide receiver in the slot out of two-receiver sets, either, and the Steelers figure to run a lot of that this year under Arthur Smith. He’ll be a potential asset as a run-blocker out of that formation, but will he get open as a receiver?
I think he has the tools at his disposal, but he needs to prove that he can do it. And to his credit, Wilson seems to be very cognizant of that fact. After all, he knows the routes that he’s run the past two years. He knows where he’s been lining up. Clearly, he has more work to do outside than inside.
The Steelers’ 2023 season has been put out of its misery, ending as so many have before in recent years: a disappointing, blowout playoff loss. The only change-up lately is when they miss the playoffs altogether. But with the Buffalo Bills stamping them out in the Wildcard Round, they have another long offseason ahead.
The biggest question hanging over the team is the quarterback question. Does Russell Wilson make them a Super Bowl-caliber team, or are they wasting a year? Will he play just one season in Pittsburgh before moving on, or the Steelers moving on from him? How will the team address the depth chart?
The Steelers are past free agency and the draft and their roster for the 2024 season is coming into focus. They made numerous moves through signings and trade—and release. More than usual, they seemed comfortable creating holes, confident they can fill them. Now that we have so many pieces of the puzzle, however, we merely have a new set of questions to ask.
