Steelers Young WR Putting In Serious Extra Work

There were some rather lofty expectations placed upon Wilson last year as he stepped into an offense and wide receiver room in need of a spark, though he never caught back up to speed after spraining his ankle in training camp.

Following Pittsburgh's first practice of camp last Thursday, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Gerry Dulac noted that the team still holds Wilson in high regard, and they believe he can make a difference during his sophomore campaign.

"The guy that you did not mention that they have extremely high hopes for is Roman Wilson," Dulac said on 970 AM, per Steelers Depot's Matthew Marczi. "They liked this guy when they drafted him. They like what they're seeing so far. They've got their fingers crossed, obviously, that [he'll] stay healthy. But they really like this guy, and I think you're gonna see him mix into the offense at that wide receiver position very high."

Wilson had a prosperous collegiate career at Michigan, where he won the national title in 2023 and logged 1,707 yards to go alongside seven touchdowns and 107 catches in 46 total games, before the Steelers picked him in the third round of last year's NFL Draft.

Though he began practicing as a full participant ahead of Week 3 after missing the entire preseason, Wilson was not active on game day until Week 6 against the Las Vegas Raiders. The 24-year-old logged just five snaps in that contest, however, and did not record a single stat.

Wilson later suffered a hamstring injury that kept him out for Week 7's Sunday Night Football bout with the New York Jets, and it led to his placement on the reserve/injured list ahead of Week 8, ultimately ending his season.

With Calvin Austin II in the slot, Wilson should see a healthy amount of reps on the outside opposite DK Metcalf this year. A savvy route runner with strong hands, he has the necessary talent to emerge as a top target for Aaron Rodgers in 2025. Now, it's just a matter of putting all the pieces together throughout the rest of the summer and carrying it over into the regular season.