It’s no surprise that last year’s weakest position group for the Steelers was their wide receiver group. Pittsburgh has made the position a priority this off-season. Here is a look at how the Steelers stand at the wide receiver position heading into the 2025 NFL Draft.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have George Pickens as their number one receiver. Pickens is a gifted athlete with a strong set of hands and a strong eye for the ball. Pickens does have some negatives the team has to deal with. Despite being an excellent athlete, Pickens has obvious maturity issues. Pickens has been criticized for allowing his emotions to get the best of him. Pickens is arguably the best wide receiver the Steelers have and his talent and potential are hard to ignore. Pickens finished 2024 with 59 receptions for 900 yards and three touchdowns.
The Pittsburgh Steelers made a surprising deal for Seattle Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf, sending a 2025 second round pick to Seattle for the 27-year-old veteran. Metcalf is an established player who is known for his ability to make splash plays and his ability to mix physicality with consistent catches and yardage. In a division with Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Zay Flowers, the addition of DK Metcalf was a huge addition at a position of need. One of the main reasons why the Steelers offense had struggled in passing was because opposing defenses knew that whoever the Steelers had under center, the first read was always going to be George Pickens. With the addition of Metcalf, the Steelers will be able to take pressure off Pickens by using Metcalf. Defenses will have to respect that.
In the slot, the Pittsburgh Steelers have Calvin Austin. Austin showed some glimpses of success last year given the circumstances with the uncertainty at the wide receiver position. Austin, for being an undersized receiver, makes up for what he lacks in height with a nice mix of speed and hands. All teams need a speedster at wide receiver, and the Steelers have a reliable young talent in Austin. Calvin Austin finished the season with 36 catches for 548 yards and four touchdowns.
Another question mark the Steelers have at wide receiver is with Roman Wilson. He suffered an ankle injury in the first padded practice of the season that had him sidelined until week six against the Oakland Raiders. In that game, Wilson only took five offensive snaps and suffered a hamstring injury that kept him sidelined for the rest of the season. It was also alleged that Wilson also stayed sidelined because he had trouble understanding the offensive playbook. Mike Tomlin has not lost any hope for the young player, though, saying that they expect big things from Wilson in his second year.
The Steelers still have the same tight end group they ended the 2024 season with. Pat Freiermuth is a reliable tight end who has excellent hands and can be a weapon in the middle of the field. Freiermuth hauled in 65 passes for 653 yards and seven touchdowns. If used properly, it is not far-fetched to believe the big tight end can haul in 90 plus catches for over 1000 yards.
The Steelers also have an under the radar guy in Darnell Washington. Washington stands at 6’8” and has been used as a lineman for the purpose of blocking for running backs. Washington’s talents are not limited to that, however. He is not used a lot in the passing game but has shown the ability to make plays when his name is called. Washington had 19 catches in 2024, up from seven in his rookie campaign.
The Steelers also have Cameron Heyward’s younger brother Connor as the third tight end. Heyward is more of a special team’s guy who isn’t used on offense very often, but when his name has been called, he has made some solid catches, and he has laid down some nice blocks. All teams need a guy or two like that.
Recently the Pittsburgh Steelers signed another 6’8” tight end in Donald Parham Jr. Parham could be a sneaky addition for the Steelers, given his size, ability to create separation from defenders and receiving ability, which makes him a very reliable red zone threat.
The Steelers also have some decent wide receiver depth with the likes of Brandon Johnson and Lance McCutcheon. Veterans Scotty Miller and Ben Skowronek should be able to add some catches to the lineup as well.
Overall, I believe the Pittsburgh Steelers are in a much better place with their wide receivers than they were last year. They made a surprising deal for DK Metcalf, and have a couple of young guys they are expecting to take the next step. They could still use some depth which could easily be addressed in the draft, but overall, the direction they are headed in is a positive one. Now if only the same could be said for the quarterback position…
pic courtesy of the New York Times