As of right now, the Pittsburgh Steelers have a bottom-tier wide receiver corps. Diontae Johnson departing to the Carolina Panthers via a trade last month has really hampered the group, especially since the Steelers did not find a comparable replacement in free agency. Luckily for the Steelers, this is a deep wide receiver draft class.
NFL insider Jason La Canfora of The Washington Post expects the Steelers to land a receiver in the draft, but within reason. He suggests that offensive line is a bigger priority and receiver will be addressed in round 2-3, which is usually a sweet spot of for the Steelers when it comes to drafting receivers.
“The Pittsburgh Steelers revamped their quarterback room and been more active in free agency than in the past, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them land another pass catcher, within reason, allowing them to focus on this deep offensive line class in the first round,” La Canfora wrote. “Meanwhile, teams being linked most to first-round wide receivers, according to the personnel executives I spoke with, include the Cardinals, Bears, Indianapolis Colts, Buffalo Bills, San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs.”
La Canfora said earlier this month that the Steelers are trying their hand at landing a receiver via trade.
“For me, there’s a piece of information we don’t have yet, which is do they trade for a wide receiver before the draft,” La Canfora said on the In The Huddle podcast. “It would not surprise me if they did that tomorrow, if they did it the Wednesday before the draft. If they did it while they were on the clock, if they did it in the run up to the draft that Thursday, I know that they’re really trying to make something happen there.”
Over the last month, reports have linked the Steelers to trade-candidate wide receivers such as Brandon Aiyuk and free-agent receivers such as Mike Williams and Calvin Ridley. Denver Broncos Courtland Sutton could also be a trade option. The Steelers can still sign a stop-gap veteran but will likely wait until after the draft to see what wide receiver prospect they walk away with.
“They’ve done an incredible job drafting wide receivers,” La Canfora said. “So, if they don’t get a veteran plug-and-play guy, then yeah [they will draft one.]”
It’s no secret, offensive tackle and center are two major needs for the Steelers in this year’s draft. Completing the rebuilding process of the O-line is pivotal, especially in Arthur Smith’s offensive scheme that is very run-game oriented.
They need to pair Broderick Jones with an elite tackle, Dan Moore Jr. hasn’t showcased that he’s the answer. Center is also a glaring hole and something that the Steelers have been trying to address since Maurkice Pouncey’s retirement following the 2020 season. The Kendrick Green and Mason Cole experiments were complete disasters.
Brad Gagnon of Bleachers Report thinks the Steelers might be out of luck at 20th overall, however, as he believes there will be a run-on with offensive lineman. Creating a nightmare scenario for Omar Khan and Company.
“When they’re on the clock in the No. 20 spot, primo offensive linemen (Ola) Fashanu, (JC) Latham, (Troy) Fautanu, (Taliese) Fuaga, Amarius Mims and Jackson Powers-Johnson are all gone,” Gagnon wrote in an article describing every team’s nightmare scenario in one sentence.
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