The WR position may be the biggest problem currently on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ roster. They have one proven weapon in DK Metcalf. However, he couldn’t quite live up to expectations last year with essentially no help outside of him.
Roman Wilson has potential. But he’s rarely had a chance to showcase it, and Calvin Austin III will become a free agent. Simply put, even if they add to the position through free agency, the Steelers will probably have to draft a receiver. Beat writer Ray Fittipaldo thinks they could select multiple receivers in the first two days of the draft.
“It’s a very strong position,” Fittipaldo said Friday on the North Shore Drive podcast. “Receivers, with the way the spread game is now, the way those guys come up playing 7-on-7, it’s a really strong group every single year. And like we said, this might be the year the Steelers finally address that. And don’t be surprised if they address it twice in the top-100 picks.”
It typically is a strong position, but this year is better than most. From Carnell Tate to Makai Lemon, Jordyn Tyson and Denzel Boston, a handful should go in the first round. There’s a chance even more than those four come off the board on Day 1.
Unless they trade up, something Fittipaldo himself thinks could happen, the Steelers should have a good feel for the WR position once the clock ticks to the 21st overall pick. If one of those four are on the board, Pittsburgh might be happy to simply take one of them. That would immediately solve the WR2 issue. And if receivers start flying off the board in general, the Steelers could feel some pressure to take one themselves, even if it’s not one of those four. They don’t pick again until the back half of the second round.
However, the draft is deep at the position. No matter how fast receivers come off the board, the Steelers can opt to look somewhere else in round one, and still feel confident about landing a quality receiver on Day 2. Pittsburgh does have five picks in the top 100, after all. The Steelers could pass on the position in the first round and still grab two solid receivers, owning a second-round pick and three third-rounders. With how this draft class shakes out, that would make a lot of sense.
A lot can still change, with the pre-draft process always bringing some twists and turns. But the WR position has an argument to be the strongest in the entire draft, and the Steelers will have plenty of options in front of them. Fittipaldo wouldn’t find it shocking if two of their first five picks come at the position.
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