Still Curtain
FanSided

Pittsburgh Steelers: The Risk of a Draft Pick vs. The Risk of Martavis Bryant

By Noah Strackbein

Jan 17, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Martavis Bryant (10) and wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey (88) walk off the field after the AFC Divisional round playoff game against the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Denver won 23-16. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 17, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Martavis Bryant (10) and wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey (88) walk off the field after the AFC Divisional round playoff game against the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Denver won 23-16. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Pittsburgh Steelers have waited almost an entire year for wide receiver, Martavis Bryant, to be reinstated, but how much longer should they sit around?

Must Read: 5 Non-Edge Rushers the Steeler Could Pick No. 30

At this point, the Pittsburgh Steelers leave little faith in the reinstatement of wideout Martavis Bryant. After missing all of 2016 because of a PED use, Bryant is still a giant question mark in the future of Pittsburgh.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler said it best when he wrote, “The Pittsburgh Steelers view Martavis Bryant’s projected return in 2017 as more bonus than guarantee.”

That’s what Bryant is at this point – a bonus. When talking about the receiving core in 2017, people don’t bring up Bryant unless they’re saying he might return. For the most part, he isn’t brought up at all. It’s like everyone has given up on him playing in the NFL again and have moved on to Eli Rogers, Sammie Coates and a potential NFL Draft pick taking his spot.

Not that any of this is upsetting. Bryant did this to himself, and when the Steelers drafted him, they knew his past gave him a hit-or-miss future in the NFL. Well, he’s proven he wasn’t mature enough to play in the pros just yet, and it could end his career with Pittsburgh earlier than expected.

Truthfully, if the answer is there at any moment outside the first round of the NFL Draft, you move on from Bryant. Maybe the Steelers would rather spend draft picks on defensive help and voids they have other than receiver, but Bryant has put them in a situation where they at least need to think about it.

The future is so unknown with the former Clemson star that it’s a gamble not trying to replace him. Even if they don’t do it in the first two round, which history says they won’t, they should use one of their eight picks to draft a wide out. Honestly, it should be one of the picks in the first half of this year’s draft.

Yes, they have other priorities, but think about it. Pittsburgh drafts a wide receiver, preferably a deep threat. They then get to use Eli Rogers as the slot, add Ladarius Green to the mix as a middle of the field playmaker, and use Coates and the new guy to play vertical. That creates a lot of one-on-one looks for Antonio Brown on the outside.

None of this is full proof. All it is, is a suggestion to look at Bryant as a player the Steelers will never have again. There are options throughout this draft to replace him, and maybe it’s time to consider the idea.

Next: Steelers Mock Draft 3.0 - A More Balanced Approach

It’s never fun being in the position Pittsburgh is in. Unfortunately, they have less than a week to decide, and it isn’t like Bryant will be back by then. That means you either take a chance on him returning or on a new receiver.

At this point, betting on a draft pick gives them better odds than Bryant’s unreliable track record.

Home/Steelers Draft