Pittsburgh Steelers select James Washington in 2nd round of 2018 NFL Draft

The Pittsburgh Steelers moved one wide receiver and drafted another less than 24 hours from each other.

The newest member of the Pittsburgh Steelers is a speedy wide receiver out of Oklahoma State. James Washington worked his way to the top of the positional draft board, and the Steelers were in the hunt for a wideout.

Washington adds the third man back to Pittsburgh’s trio. After moving Martavis Bryant to the Oakland Raiders, the Steelers wanted to pick another receiver. Washington was around at No. 60, and the team made it happen.

After Christian Kirk, Anthony Miller and Dante Pettis were selected earlier than expected, the Steelers knew they needed to jump on a pass catcher asap. Washington may not be everyone’s first choice, but he is a great deep threat alongside Antonio Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster.

Washington is going to work well with Ben Roethlisberger. The quarterback loves to look deep and now he has three options to throw to down the field. Look for a lot of three receiver sets during 2018, with deep routes being the move on most pass plays.

Pittsburgh still has two third-round picks to work with tonight. An inside linebacker could be the favorite for No. 79, and then at No. 92 things will get interesting. With Pittsburgh’s approach being favorite player available, they could go any direction moving forward.

The team has a game plan and they’re sticking to it. Bryant wasn’t clicking with the team so moving him was the best option. Washington comes in fresh and adds young talent to the receiving core.

Next: Meet the Pick: Terrell Edmunds

Fans should be excited. Washington is going to be a monster in the NFL. He has everything around him to succeed. Don’t expect much of a wait before the Oklahoma State product is on the field catching deep balls from Big Ben.