4 players the Steelers should steer clear of in round one of the NFL Draft

Terrace Marshall Jr., WR, LSU

Taking a wide receiver in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft seems highly unlikely – especially considering the needs Pittsburgh has elsewhere. However, there’s reason to believe they could explore this option with one of their first three picks. JuJu Smith-Schuster will undoubtedly be signing elsewhere in free agency this offseason, and their offense could use a spark. The Steelers are incredibly thin at the position outside of their top three players, and they will likely want to get Ben Roethlisberger every weapon possible to make one final push at a Super Bowl.

If they are to go this route, Terrace Marshall would not be my choice. I get the intrigue with him. He’s a 6’3” receiver who is a smooth mover and he did a lot of damage in the slot (the same role he would be filling for JuJu). In addition, Marshall is just 20 years old and he is very good at winning at the catch point.

Unfortunately, he is also extremely inconsistent. Marshall had 7 drops on 55 catchable targets last year, according to Pro Football Focus – most of them on easy, routine plays. Though he’s a smooth athlete for his size, he’s not sudden, and his narrow frame doesn’t allow him to shed tackles as often as a player like JuJu. Realistically, I think there should be three receivers who should be a lock for round one, and Marshall is not one of them.