The Pittsburgh Steelers have started their offseason with a bang, acquiring Seattle Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf in a deal that will become official with the start of the new league year Wednesday after 4 PM/EST. Metcalf is one of the freakiest receivers in the league, a true “first off the bus” type who looks like he was built in a lab.
But who exactly is Pittsburgh getting? What are the true and specific strengths – and weaknesses – of his game? Let’s break down his tape in a couple of categories: pre-catch, catch/post-catch, blocking, and usage/stats.
Pre-Catch
Defined as his route-running and overall athletic ability.
Explosive. If there’s a word to describe Metcalf, it’s that. He’s explosive in every aspect of his game. His burst. His acceleration. His breakaway speed. At 6’3 and roughly 230 pounds, it’s rare a guy with his frame move the way he does. But his muscle and build generates tons of power to win at all levels of the field.
Here’s two clips against the San Francisco 49ers. You can just feel that speed and ability to ramp up in a hurry. He’s at the bottom of both clips, easily identifiable by his green shoes (and oh yeah, his size).
That acceleration allows him to quickly reach top speed but he has the ability to gear down just as quickly. That creates separation at the top of his route no matter if he’s running vertically (posts, go-balls) or underneath (curls/comebacks). The threat of his speed also forces corners to respect it and open up their hips, allowing him to create space underneath. Two examples from 2023 against Pittsburgh.
Slot receiver up top in the first clip, top of screen in the second.
Metcalf is a winner on slants, able to burst away in the quick game and use his body to shield himself from cornerbacks.
Off the line, Metcalf has a good release package. He has violent hands and his size and strength is an obvious asset. Watch him be able to get off the line against Sauce Gardner in 2024, finishing with a great catch on this sideline fade (that I’ll show in a separate clip below). Top of the screen here, focusing on his release.
While he’s a bursty route runner, he’s not necessarily a slippery one. He struggles to fool corners with nods and head fakes and struggled to create consistent separation against Gardner in 2024, the play above aside. It’s a great-on-great matchup and you wouldn’t expect Metcalf to dominate start-to-finish but it’s not the only example of Metcalf struggling to win more nuanced.
Bottom of the screen against the Jets, top of the screen versus the 49ers.
Catch/Post-Catch
Focusing on his ability to catch the football and YAC ability post-catch.
Metcalf doesn’t have the most reliable hands and I was surprised to see him not be the above-the-rim player his frame would suggest but his tracking is excellent. He finds the ball in the air while maintaining speed and can adjust to underthrown passes.
Metcalf wins vertically with his speed and ability to stack cornerbacks over the top. It’s a different compared to George Pickens who plays it like a power forward, leaping above a defender to grab a rebound. Metcalf wins the track meet. A couple examples.
He shows impressive sideline awareness and body control, making toe-tap catches along the sideline. And again, you’ll see that smooth burst at the top of his route here.
Some more clips.
His elite physical traits make him a threat post-catch. Despite having a high average depth of target, Metcalf averages a respectable YAC. A long-strider, his acceleration allows him to run away from defenders and pick up additional yards over the middle.
His broken tackles have ebbed and flowed, he had eight in 2020 and 2021 and seven in 2023 but only three in 2024 and one in 2022.
Metcalf will drop passes over the middle in and around traffic and sometimes, he’ll take his eye of the ball before hauling it in that lead to double-grabs. Per Pro Football Reference, he recorded four drops in 2024, a 3.7-percent rate that was second-lowest/best of his career. We’ll get into the data near the end of the article.
You’d think he would win jump balls more often but it’s less a staple of his game as you’d think. He lost out in more of those situations than expected. Some of the clips below are tough throws but they’re ones No. 1s are capable of making and it wasn’t his game. Again, compared to Pickens, they’re both vertical threats but different kinds.
Blocking
Run-blocking effectiveness.
Metcalf plays to his size and strength and throws his weight as a blocker. He’s impactful and aggressive with effort and strain. As a rookie, CB Joey Porter Jr. got a taste of that in 2023, handled on this stalk block that led to a Seattle rushing touchdown.
But it’s hardly Metcalf’s only example. He looks for work on extended plays and blocks with authority at a high level. Top of the screen in the first clip against the 49ers.
Usage/Stats
Production and advanced stats/metrics.
Metcalf has never been a volume receiver, 90 receptions his peak in 2022 despite being durable and available throughout his career playing at least 15 games in all six of his NFL seasons. He’s recorded 900 or more yards each year and gone over four-digits three times, 1,303 in 2020 his high watermark.
Per PFF’s charting, he logged 716 outside snaps compared to 108 in the slot in 2024. His 2023 season was nearly the same split. For his career, Metcalf has played 85.4-percent of his snaps on the outside (4,683) compared to 14.6-percent (802) in the slot.
Since being drafted in 2019, Metcalf’s 12.7 ADOT (average depth of target) ranks eighth in the NFL, showing how he was used as a downfield vertical threat. Similarly, per NextGenStats, Metcalf’s 13.7 targeted air yards tied for 10th in 2024.
Per NextGen, Metcalf registered 2.6-yards of separation in 2024. It’s one of the NFL’s lower marks but it falls in line with big-bodied vertical/outside receivers who aren’t the craftiest separators and see plenty of attention. By comparison, the Philadelphia Eagles’ A.J. Brown averaged just 2-yards of separation while Tee Higgins sat at 2.4 and George Pickens 2.3.
Pro Football Focus ranked him as an elite downfield receiver. Metcalf, Terry McLaurin, Deebo Samuel, Jaylen Reed, and George Pickens were the only receivers to scored 99.9 on deep throws in 2024, defined as 20-plus yards. Metcalf caught half his targets (16 of 32) and all five of his 2024 touchdowns came from that range. He ranked lower in the other categories.
Metcalf Receiving Grades (By Depth)
Deep: 99.9 (Tied-First)
Intermediate: 94.4 (Tied-56th)
Short: 82.4 (81st)
Behind LOS: 62.5 (98th, third-to-last)
Final Thoughts
Metcalf is a unique receiver. He brings coveted size but also rare athleticism that is more than just having great top-end speed. His burst and acceleration is rare and makes him a threat all over the field. His attitude and playing style fits Pittsburgh. Not every system needs receivers to block but Metcalf does and fits what Arthur Smith is looking for. Similar to what Smith had in Tennessee with WR A.J. Brown, who posted consecutive 1000-yard seasons and 19 total touchdowns in two years with Smith as his offensive coordinator.
His route running is good for his frame. Some may knock him as just a downfield receiver and while that is his calling card, his explosiveness to create space at the breakpoint and top of his route to all areas is impressive. There are limitations in his route-running but nothing that holds back his potential or ability to consistently win.
It’s a home run swing with sky-high payoff. If Pittsburgh can keep Pickens on-roster in 2025, he and Metcalf will make up a dynamic duo. Doubling one leaves the other singled up. Defenses will have to play two-high shells, softening up the run game behind a hopefully-improved offensive line with a more explosive addition at running back.
For a Steelers’ team that’s had to wallow in a five-game losing streak and historic collapse, it’s a breath of fresh air to turn the chapter into 2025.
