Many feel that the Pittsburgh Steelers should trade for a wide receiver to provide some support behind George Pickens.
That particularly became the running consensus after the Steelers dealt Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers earlier this offseason, opening a massive hole at No. 2 receiver for the club.
However, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated says that swinging for the fences on a wide out is simply not Pittsburgh’s modus operandi.
Breer notes that the Steelers have drafted 19 wide receivers over the last 18 years, with the highest pick at the position being Chase Claypool at No. 49 in 2020 (and we know what happened there).
He adds that in spite of Pittsburgh not taking receivers in the first round of the draft, the franchise has still managed to land some of the best pass-catchers in football over the last couple of decades, naming stars like Antonio Brown, Emmanuel Sanders, Mike Wallace and JuJu Smith-Schuster.
Breer also says that the last time the Steelers’ leading wide out wasn’t a homegrown talent was Don Looney all the way back in 1941. So nearly a century ago.
He mentions that Pittsburgh selected University of Michigan receiver Roman Wilson in the third round of the NFL Draft late last month, so perhaps he could be the latest star to emerge in the team’s aerial attack.
There has been plenty of speculation that the Steelers could try to trade for San Francisco 49ers star Brandon Aiyuk, although Breer does not seem to think it’s very realistic.
Right now, Pickens is truly the only proven talent Pittsburgh has to offer at the position, but if history is any indication, the Steelers may be just fine with that heading into 2024.
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