During his one season at Ohio State, Pittsburgh Steelers’ rookie quarterback Will Howard had the chance to work with a special receiver in Jeremiah Smith, one that is considered a physical freak and the next great NFL wide receiver.
Now, in Pittsburgh, he’s working with true specimen at the position, one that defines physics. That would be DK Metcalf, whom the Steelers traded for this offseason before the start of free agency, handing out a huge extension to the 27-year-old receiver in the process to give Pittsburgh a true No. 1.
Though he had just a few days to work with him this offseason during the recently completed three-day mandatory minicamp at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, Howard is blown away by not only the type of talent Metcalf is, but the person he is as well.
“Oh, I mean, you just look at the guy. He’s a specimen. He’s something else. Just the way that he covers ground with his strides, and the way that he works,” Howard said of Metcalf, according to video via Steelers Live on X. “You see a lot of guys like that, that it’s rare to see somebody that is willing to catch for a rookie quarterback on any route that he needs. ‘Hey, DK, could you go spot up a corner for me? No problem.’ He is super hardworking, just respectful goes about his business, and a great dude too.
“If I make a good play, he’s coming over to me, dapping me up. He’s been awesome, man. I’m excited to get to work with him.”
Metcalf certainly is a specimen. It’s been that way since he was coming out of college at Ole Miss. There was the photo that circulated of him with former Ole Miss teammate AJ Brown, which showed how cut up and muscular Metcalf is. He also took his shirt off at the NFL Scouting Combine ahead of the 2019 NFL Draft, which went viral when then-Seahawks’ head coach Pete Carroll took his shirt off, too.
It’s not just his body type though. Metcalf is a big, strong, physical receiver that is fast, can jump out of the gym and win in contested-catch situations. He can run the full route tree, can line up anywhere on the field, will block his tail off in the run game, and gives max effort at all times, even when his quarterback turns the football over.
Having that type of player to work with is going to be beneficial for Howard, even if he’s not getting many first-team reps with him as the No. 3 QB on the roster at the moment. Getting to work with a true pro at receiver, one that takes his preparation seriously, will do wonders for Howard’s development, especially in training camp.
It remains to be seen just how many reps Howard will get with Metcalf, especially in training camp, but already the new big-name receiver is making an impact on the rookie quarterback.
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