The Steelers seem dead set on drafting a wide receiver this year, and possibly more, but how much will he contribute? Not much this season, veteran beat writer Mark Kaboly anticipates. While he doesn’t rule it out, he contends major rookie contributors are few and far between. Combined with a veteran pair of starters and a stickler for a quarterback, a neophyte may need some developmental time.
Asked about, in light of Aaron Rodgers’ wide receiver preferences, what the realistic expectations should be for a Steelers rookie wide receiver, Kaboly basically suggested tempering expectations. Granted, that’s always reasonable advice for rookies, but the Steelers need wide receiver help.
“Not only that, but it’s not very often that a rookie receiver – not named Puka Nacua, Randy Moss, Ja’Marr Chase, Justin Jefferson, Anquan Boldin – that was a key contributor right out of the gate”, he wrote, referring to Rodgers’ expectations. “I am not saying it can’t happen, but when you have DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman Jr. and presumably a quarterback that demands perfection with their route running, it would be, in my mind, extremely difficult to see a rookie receiver contributing immediately”.
Over the past 10 seasons, there have been 40 NFL rookie wide receivers who have recorded 700-plus receiving yards. That’s an average of four per season, which feels about right. Last year, only Tetairoa McMillan and Emeka Egbuka hit that mark. But five reached it in 2024, and seven did so the year before. The Steelers’ most recent rookie wide receiver to hit the mark was George Pickens in 2022.
Now, the Steelers have only drafted one wide receiver since then, Roman Wilson in the third round in 2024. Like Calvin Austin III, drafted the same year as Pickens, he spent most of his rookie season sidelined by injury. Not just injury, though, but also the critical time lost for practice due to injury. That’s the other variable regarding rookies and playing time; they have a much smaller margin for error.
Still, when healthy, the Steelers’ track record of rookie wide receiver production is not bad. In 2020, Chase Claypool caught 62 passes for 873 yards and scored 10 total touchdowns, including four in one game. The year before, Diontae Johnson went 59-680-5. James Washington didn’t have a big impact, but JuJu Smith-Schuster did. In his rookie season in 2017, he caught 58 passes for 917 yards and 7 touchdowns.
Now, you could say that the common denominator in all cases was Ben Roethlisberger—you’d be wrong. You fool. You obviously forgot that he had already retired by the time they drafted George Pickens. Yet working with Mitch Trubisky and Kenny Pickett, the Steelers still got 801 yards and 5 touchdowns out of a rookie wide receiver.
Last season, Pittsburgh had just one player record 500-plus receiving yards: DK Metcalf. And they anticipate bringing the same quarterback back this year in Aaron Rodgers. But the offense under Mike McCarthy will be different. Could a rookie wide receiver working with Aaron Rodgers and Mike McCarthy be productive for the Steelers this year? Yes, of course he could, but will he? As no better than the third option, something like a 500-yard season might be a more reasonable goal.
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