Do the Steelers have too much faith in their wide receivers heading into 2020?

The Steelers could ignore the wide receiver position early in the 2020 NFL Draft. Do they have too much faith in the receivers currently on the roster?

It’s hard to read too much into the 2019 season for the Pittsburgh Steelers. They were without their star quarterback in Ben Roethlisberger, while Mason Rudolph and Devlin Hodges proved to be below replacement level backups.

As a result, their offense greatly struggled – finishing 30th in the league in offensive yardage. The wide receivers were among the position most affected by the loss of Big Ben. Their top three receivers averaged to catch under 60 percent of their targets, and JuJu Smith-Schuster’s down year was a big concern.

While last year’s situation was unusual, are the Steelers putting too much faith in their wide receivers heading into 2020?

Considering their cap situation, it was completely understandable to see that Pittsburgh elected to forego adding receiver help in free agency this offseason. However, by the looks of things, they could be heading in the same direction during the NFL Draft.

From what I’ve heard, the Steelers seem to be targeting defense early on. Kevin Colbert even made mention of the strength at outside linebacker last month. Because of this, Pittsburgh could wait until day three to consider drafting a wide receiver. But should they?

Receiver is arguably the greatest strength of the 2020 NFL Draft class, and there are several reasons it should be on Pittsburgh’s radar. For starters, their depth at the position is among the worst in the league. Pittsburgh cut Johnny Holton this offseason, and Ryan Switzer was terribly inefficient in 2019. Deon Cain currently serves as their fourth wide receiver.

In addition, though Diontae Johnson and James Washington impressed at times last year, both players still have a lot to prove, and a slide in 2020 could cap Pittsburgh’s offensive potential this year.

Perhaps the biggest reason of all, however, is the uncertainty regarding JuJu’s future in Pittsburgh. The former Pro Bowler is coming off the worst season of his three-year career, but is set to break the bank during the 2021 offseason. Landing a receiver high in the draft would give them a solid insurance policy in the event the Steelers and JuJu can’t come to terms on a new deal.

Between players like Brandon Aiyuk, Jalen Reagor, Bryan Edwards, Michael Pittman, and Laviska Shenalt, someone is bound to slip through the cracks and make their way to the 49th overall pick. Each one of these players could not only serve as a long-term answer to Pittsburgh’s struggles on offense, but they could give the Steelers an offensive boost in a Super Bowl window.

I won’t write off receiver completely early in the draft, but from what I gathered, Pittsburgh doesn’t appear to be heading that direction. Perhaps they have too much confidence in their current group of wide receivers.