With a second-round pick invested and $150 million due to DK Metcalf over the next five seasons, the Pittsburgh Steelers need him to be among the league’s best. According to Pro Football Focus, both Metcalf and the Steelers have a long way to go to make that a reality.
Trevor Sikkema and Dalton Wasserman teamed up to place the top 32 NFL receivers into tiers and rank them in numerical order. Metcalf landed toward the bottom of Tier 4 at No. 23 overall.
They didn’t have a lot to say about Metcalf specifically, but they did say Tier 4 gets into “a little more uncertainty” and more projections for players on this list. Guys like Chris Godwin and Brandon Aiyuk are in this tier (above Metcalf) despite coming off season-ending injuries in 2024.
They did seem to take each player’s situation into account, so it’s possible they are factoring in the Steelers’ uncertainty at quarterback. Aaron Rodgers essentially produced two 1,000-yard receivers last year. Even at 41 years old, he can help good receivers shine in the right offensive system.
Even with the Steelers’ struggling offense in 2024, George Pickens put up 850 yards and three TDs over the first 12 games before an injury derailed his season. He was on pace for a top-10 season at the WR position. Arthur Smith’s offense is capable of supporting at least one productive receiver.
Pickens didn’t even make the cut for the top 32 on this list, so at least the PFF analysts view Metcalf as an upgrade over what the Steelers previously had.
As for Metcalf’s recent track record, he was 22nd among receivers last season in yards with 992 in 15 games played. The last time he was in the top 10 was in 2020 with Russell Wilson as his quarterback when he was sixth with 1,303 yards and 10 TDs.
On a more positive note, his TD production has outpaced his total yardage production over the last several seasons. Since he entered the league in 2019, Metcalf has the fifth-most receiving TDs among WRs with 48, only behind Mike Evans, Davante Adams, Tyreek Hill and A.J. Brown.
Smith managed to get some productive seasons out of Brown early in his career with the Tennessee Titans with 2,126 yards and 19 TDs in 30 games played over his first two seasons in the league.
If Rodgers signs, Metcalf should easily outperform his No. 23 ranking on this list. The Steelers are counting on it with Metcalf making the fourth-highest WR salary in the NFL.
