The Steelers know what they are doing when it comes to drafting wide receivers.
Over the years, the Steelers have one of the best, if not the best, histories of drafting elite receivers. With their six Super Bowls (tied for first), they have done their due diligence to draft the best players to help them win the most important games.
They are most noticeable for drafting elite wide receivers such as Santonio Holmes, Hines Ward, Antonio Brown, Juju Smith-Schuster, Martavis Bryant, and Lynn Swann. Among these men, there is one that sticks out for his play a bit more than the others. Regardless of all of his antics, Antonio Brown statistically is one of the best wide receivers to ever play the game. In my opinion, he is undoubtedly the best receiver to ever play in the black and gold.
He finished his Steelers career with 837 career receptions (2nd all-time), 11,207 yards receiving (second all-time), and 74 touchdowns (second all-time). Statistically, he compares with some of the best, such as Terrel Owens and Jerry Rice. In my opinion, the only wide receiver that out-competes him is Randy Moss, who I think nobody will touch.
Hines Ward is first in all of those categories, but his Steelers career lasted fourteen seasons, whereas Antonio’s only lasted nine… Antonio Brown, in his nine-year career, had seven one-thousand yards seasons. The only two seasons where he did not pass the threshold was his rookie season, in 2010, and his junior season, in 2012. Hines Ward, in his career, only had six one-thousand yard seasons. Antonio Brown also had six consecutive one-hundred reception seasons (NFL record) and is tied for most one-hundred reception seasons in NFL history with Brandon Marshall. Hines Ward, however, only had one season where he surpassed one-hundred receptions.
Hines Ward does own most of the Steelers receiving records, but that is sheerly because of durability and longevity. Had Antonio Brown not gone off the deep end, he surely would have obliterated those records. That is why I consider him to be the best Steelers receiver of all-time…on the field of course.