When the Pittsburgh Steelers traded for Seattle Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf, they immediately handed him a top-10 contract among his NFL peers at the same position. However, that doesn't mean that he's a top-10 wide receiver in the league. Though Metcalf has averaged over 1,000 yards per season in his first six years in the league, most would argue that he doesn't belong in this discussion.
The league seems to agree.
Jeremy Fowler of ESPN recently published an article ranking the NFL's top 10 wide receivers entering the 2025 season, voted on by a panel of 70 league executives, coaches, and scouts. Metcalf didn't make the cut... but he did earn an honorable mention.
"He's still one of the biggest matchup problems in the NFL," one NFL personnel evaluator said of Metcalf. "He's also still limited as a route runner in my opinion."
This evaluator isn't wrong. Metcalf won't wow you with his ability to cut on a dime and create separation at the top of his routes. That's not his game. Instead, the 6'3 3/'8'', 228-pound receiver wins with bully-ball, boxing defenders out and skying for the ball down the field.
Despite being snubbed from the NFL's top 10 wide receiver ranks, Metcalf is in good company with his honorable mention status. He joins excellent players like Puka Nacua, Terry McLaurin, Brian Thomas Jr., Tee Higgins, and Davante Adams as 'the best of the rest'.
The Pittsburgh Steelers aren't getting a top-10 receiver out of DK Metcalf
As objectively as possible, DK Metcalf is probably closer to the 20th-best wide receiver in the NFL than the 10th-best. The list, made up of rankings from execs, coaches, and scouts, included no mention of players like Chris Godwin, Zay Flowers, DeVonta Smith, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Khalil Shakir, or ex-Steelers WR George Pickens. Quite frankly, Metcalf is likely closer to this group than the receivers at the very top of the league.
When we project forward, it's possible he could fall even further in the rankings. Metcalf will turn 28 years old late in the 2025 season. He's likely already reached the top of his game. On the other hand, young players could emerge to surpass him, like Ladd McConkey, Marvin Harrison Jr., and Xavier Worthy. Meanwhile, the 2025 draft class included a few potential No. 1 wide receivers in Travis Hunter and Tetairoa McMillan.
While Metcalf might not live up to his lofty contract figures (four-year, $131.999 million extension), the Pittsburgh Steelers desperately needed a reliable wide receiver in the passing game. It's nice to see this steep investment earn some recognition before even taking his first snaps with the team, even if it's just an honorable mention.
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