Coming into the offseason, the wide receiver position was a glaring need for the Pittsburgh Steelers, especially considering that George Pickens is going into the final year of his rookie deal. After trading for DK Metcalf, it becomes much less of a need. Despite that, Pro Football Focus’ Dalton Wasserman still thinks it’s a position the Steelers could target early in the draft. Specifically, he points to Emeka Egbuka, whom he thinks would be a good fit with the Steelers.
“I would still look at a receiver to diversify this thing,” Wasserman said via PFF’s YouTube. “And to me I think Emeka Egbuka would fit in perfectly. If he got in the Steelers’ offense, I think he’d get a boatload of targets. To me, they don’t have a player like Emeka Egbuka on their team. I think they could greatly benefit from having somebody diversify this offense.”
When the receiver position was a bigger need for Pittsburgh, Egbuka’s name was being floated more often, and for good reason. He runs extremely crisp routes thanks to his ability to change direction quickly, tracks the ball well, and can make contested catches all over the field.
His route running is what would make him most attractive to the Steelers. Last year, George Pickens had good moments, but most of them came when the Steelers were attacking further down the field. Calvin Austin III had a lot of similar catches, and Metcalf also has a similar skill set. The Steelers have talented receivers, but they all do a lot of the same things.
If Pittsburgh lands Aaron Rodgers, it might not need as much diversification in its receiving corps. Rodgers is extremely accurate, which can make up for mediocre route running. If Pittsburgh has to pivot to Mson Rudolph or somebody else, though, Egbuka becomes more valuable. His extensive route tree would open up much more on the offense, especially in the short to intermediate game, which helps a less-talented QB.
All of that said, there could be one problem. The Steelers have one first-round pick, and one third-round pick. Egbuka will not be available in the third, so Pittsburgh would have to use its first rounder on him, unless it makes some trades.
That complicates things because receiver is far from the Steelers’ only need. If Aaron Rodgers doesn’t sign by the draft, that’s a position the Steelers will have to pay attention to. The defensive line is in dire need of help as well. All things considered, Egbuka would be a fun addition and would definitely help diversify the offense, as Wasserman suggests. However, the Steelers still may need to look at a different position instead.
