Halfway through training camp, people were ready to throw second-year WR Roman Wilson out with the bathwater. He wasn’t on the same page as Aaron Rodgers at practice, and he wasn’t standing out the way that many had hoped. That narrative flipped overnight as he started making plays in practice and carried it over into the preseason. Now he’s being viewed internally as one of the most promising young players on the team.
Mark Kaboly shared what he’s hearing from what sounds like several team sources via Kaboly + Mack this morning when asked about 2025 breakout candidates.
“I think the Steelers, if they had a vote in this, they would pick Roman Wilson. I’ve never seen a front office or a scouting department inside that [organization]—not even talking about players—that have such high hopes for a guy more than they do Roman Wilson,” Kaboly said. “It’s just ‘Roman Wilson, Roman Wilson’. I mean, the other day was like ‘Watch out for Roman. I’m telling you, trust me. Roman Wilson.'”
Words can be cheap, but I think those words are backed up by some of the Steelers’ actions this offseason. Or rather what they haven’t done. Despite Calvin Austin III failing to practice for almost a full month, they didn’t panic and scramble to add another receiver. I don’t think it’s any coincidence that Wilson was one of the team’s stars over the last month.
Because of his lost rookie season, it’s easy to forget that he was a third-round pick in what was viewed as a pretty loaded WR class. Mike Tomlin and all of the Steelers’ brass watched him look like the best receiver at the 2024 Senior Bowl and beat top corners like Quinyon Mitchell one on one. He was a top player on a national championship-winning Michigan team too. Excitement surrounding Wilson shouldn’t come as a surprise with all that pedigree.
Reports started surfacing in the spring during OTAs that Wilson was working “like a man aflame” with a bulked-up frame entering his second season. It took some time at training camp, but we finally started to see the fruits of his labor once it started to click for him with Rodgers.
Rodgers even said he has a chance to become a big-time talent, and he doesn’t strike me as the type to offer empty praise like Russell Wilson might have last season.
Austin is viewed as the Steelers’ No. 2 WR, but don’t be surprised if Wilson rivals Austin’s production with a breakout season of his own.
The Steelers seem to be counting on it.
