The Pittsburgh Steelers are looking high, low and everywhere in-between at the NFL draft’s top receivers. With at least 12 known formal interviews and a handful of informal conversations, the Steelers’ priority is obvious. Receiver is a need. James Harrison, though, thinks there’s an additional layer to the team doing so much homework.
“How many times has an offensive, defensive lineman, caused division in the locker room?” Harrison asked co-host Joe Haden on their Deebo & Joe podcast. “How many times has a corner caused division in the locker room? How many times has anybody that wasn’t a wide receiver or a quarterback caused division in the locker room? It’s not that many in the NFL.”
Harrison’s point being, the most divisive players in a locker room, in his experience, are often offensive skill players. Receivers are notorious for diva personalities to the point that it’s become a meme of how they interact on social media.
Typical QB tweet: love my teammates god is good!
RB tweet: keep grindin
TE tweet: derp
WR tweet: the enemy speaks kindly & holds a knife
— Denny Carter (@CDCarter13) August 10, 2017
Pittsburgh has made many recent mistakes of drafting ultra-talented but ultra-high maintenance players.
“We’ve had five receivers now that we’ve drafted in that time period at the position, none of them received long-term deals with the Steelers,” Harrison said. “Most of it was due to maturity issues. So what they are doing is digging into the person that is the receiver that they want. So they know, this is a person that fits the Steelers’ way.”
Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool and George Pickens all fit that bill. Talented players who, at their best, made spectacular plays but all proved to be difficult to manage. They all wore out their welcome. Johnson, Claypool and Pickens were eventually traded. Johnson and Claypool’s careers effectively came to an end while Pickens found success in Dallas and is in line for a massive offseason payday.
Harrison’s point is well-taken and fair to make. But no matter the position, the Steelers have always shown an extreme amount of interest in their greatest area of need. In 2025, the team had a long list of defensive lineman they met with at the Combine that included eventual first round pick Derrick Harmon. The same held true for offensive linemen in 2023 and 2024.
Pittsburgh’s approach is merely logical. The team has a need and is putting it front and center. The Steelers must find a prospect who combines talent with professionalism, that is undoubtedly true. But the attention for receiver isn’t necessarily special. It’s standard information gathering to take the best player and person for what might be the team’s first 1st-round selection on a receiver since 2006.
Recommended for you