Steelers WR Diontae Johnson named as player 'who could disappoint in 2022'

One of the reasons some within the NFL community rolled their eyes when Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Chase Claypool confidently said during a recent appearance on the "I Am Athlete" podcast that he considers himself "a top-three receiver" in the league is because the numbers show he wasn't even the best player at the position on his own team last season. 

Per ESPN stats, Diontae Johnson led Pittsburgh for the 2021 campaign and earned a Pro Bowl nod in the process by recording 107 catches, 169 targets, 1,161 receiving yards and eight touchdown receptions. Johnson also happens to be entering the final year of his rookie contract, and Ari Meirov of Pro Football Focus named the 25-year-old as somebody who could put pen to paper on a "big-money extension" either before or during the preseason. 

Not everybody is convinced Johnson will be worth a new deal via his on-the-field contributions this fall. Maurice Moton of Bleacher Report referred to the wideout as a player who "could disappoint" during the 2022 season while catching passes thrown by either free-agent acquisition Mitchell Trubisky, first-round draft pick Kenny Pickett or career backup Mason Rudolph following the retirement of future Hall of Famer Ben Roethlisberger. 

"In addition to wideout Chase Claypool and tight end Pat Freiermuth, Johnson may lose some targets to rookie second-rounder George Pickens and rookie fourth-rounder Calvin Austin III," Moton wrote. "Even if Pittsburgh fields a top-10 passing attack, Trubisky and Pickett will have far too many options to focus on one pass-catcher. That doesn't bode well for Johnson, who wants to show that he's one of the league's top receivers."

Interestingly, Meirov also noted that Pittsburgh spending draft picks on Pickens and Austin could prevent the club from paying Johnson in a big way before regular-season games get underway in September.