While the media focuses on whether the Pittsburgh Steelers will add Brandon Aiyuk from the outside, Assistant GM Andy Weidl is focused on who is currently in the wide receiver room. Speaking to reporters Thursday, Weidl spoke highly of the team’s current crop of receivers and the team speed they’ve added throughout the offseason.
“The receivers that we ended up with, we like,” Weidl said via the team’s YouTube channel. “We’ve added speed to that room. We liked Van Jefferson when he was coming out in the draft from Florida. He had an excellent week at the Senior Bowl, and he had a good year with LA, their Super Bowl year. He’s a guy with high football character. We respected him.
“Scotty Miller, his route savvy, his speed, his quickness. He played on a Super Bowl-winning team in Tampa. [Quez Watkins], his deep speed ability. And then Roman Wilson and Michigan with the speed and the big-play ability he showed last year.”
Pittsburgh’s offseason moves focused on speed, bringing in a slew of new faces. That included several veterans in Van Jefferson, Scotty Miller, and Quez Watkins, along with using a third-round pick on Roman Wilson. All their 40 times sparkled.
Steelers WR 40 Times
Quez Watkins: 4.35
Scotty Miller: 4.36
Roman Wilson: 4.39
Van Jefferson: 4.39
Timed speed and game speed don’t always align, but all four have flashed it during training camp. Watkins made a diving 50-yard catch during a recent camp practice, Wilson ascended before his ankle sprain, Jefferson was named our top player in camp, and Miller has been tough for cornerbacks to run with.
Based on their camp performance, Weidl is optimistic about the group.
“We like the room, and we think that it’s growing. It’s developing. You can see it every day with the quarterbacks, the chemistry being developed.”
Still, the group has its share of weaknesses, mainly a lack of recent production. And Pittsburgh could use another big piece to complete their revamped offense. Hypothetically, if the Steelers trade for Aiyuk and Jefferson slides in as a No. 3 and Wilson as a No. 4 (who could and would rotate in once healthy), Pittsburgh will have a good-looking offense across the board. But if Aiyuk stays with the 49ers, the Steelers may not consider any other external options and hope their collection of free agent receiver moves along with better quarterback play and scheme is enough to put them over the top.
