The late rounds of the NFL Draft can be a crapshoot with teams taking chances on players with high potential. Teams don’t always hit, but in the sixth round of the 2010 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers struck gold with WR Antonio Brown. While Brown’s tenure in Pittsburgh and in the NFL overall ended on a sour note, it is hard to deny his greatness.
Recently, Ian Valentino of The 33rd Team made a list of his top 10 wide receivers of all time which included Brown at No. 8.
“The bulk of Brown’s impressive stats were accumulated from 2013 to 2018, though he had already made a Pro Bowl appearance in his sophomore year in 2011,” wrote Valentino. “During this six-year period, he consistently caught at least 101 passes each season, never dipping below 1,284 yards or eight touchdowns. He topped the league in receptions and yards twice and in touchdowns once.
“His most prolific season in 2015 saw him reel in 136 catches for a staggering 1,834 yards. He’s 25th in yards, 21st in receptions, 26th in touchdowns, and third in yards per game. But self-inflicted mistakes cut his career short, producing only 91 receptions for 1,084 yards and nine touchdowns after turning 31. His lack of longevity in his later years hurt his argument for landing higher, but his peak is impossible to erase.”
Entering the NFL, Brown was an afterthought to many, including then-offensive coordinator Bruce Arians, But his hard work paid off. Brown and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger had a stretch where they were the best quarterback-wide receiver duo in the league.
Brown’s emergence as one of Pittsburgh’s “Killer B’s” helped them become Super Bowl contenders in the mid-2010s. Unfortunately, Brown wasn’t able to win a ring in Pittsburgh, but he was arguably the best player on every snap. His presence on the field opened up the offense for others, which helped the Steelers have an elite offense from 2014 to 2018.
As Valentino mentioned, what hurts Brown on the all-time scale is his lack of longevity. Brown’s peak may have been the best on the top 10 list, but due to Brown not becoming a full-fledged starter until 2013 and the mess that was his post-Steelers days, he doesn’t have the longevity of a Jerry Rice or Marvin Harrison. Despite that blemish, Brown is still pretty high up in the record books.
Even with Brown’s aforementioned faults, he should be higher than eighth. Brown was a video game character who simply could get open no matter who was guarding him. His ability to get open is probably the best on this list, and Brown’s field awareness helped him make catches that didn’t seem possible. While Brown probably shouldn’t be in the top three, he should be a lock for the top five.
Brown will likely make the Hall of Fame one day. Despite his off-the-field antics, he was a top receiver of his generation, and on top of that, he was able to win a Super Bowl. Even in the last year of his career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he was still an effective route runner and receiver. Brown believes he’ll get into Canton one day, hopefully with Roethlisberger and Le’Veon Bell joining him.
Brown has a first ballot resume, but Hall of Fame voters might not agree. There are plenty of things that can be said about Brown, but if we’re talking solely about his ability to play wide receiver, he’s one of the NFL’s best to ever do it.
