3 Steelers who have blown away early expectations in 2021
By Tommy Jaggi
Steelers WR Diontae Johnson
As inconsistent as Diontae Johnson was in 2020, he’s been just the opposite through the first two games of the 2021 season. Last year, Johnson led all NFL players in dropped passes with 13, according to Pro Football Reference. So far this year, Johnson has the most targets in the league without a single drop.
As a result, Johnson has even more reason to be a player that Ben Roethlisberger can rely on heavily. Through his first two games, the shifty wide receiver already has 14 receptions for 141 yards and a touchdown. This puts him on an early pace for 119 receptions and 1,198 yards.
While prorating a player’s potential numbers after just two games isn’t the way to go, we can see how heavily involved Diontae is going to be on the Steelers offense this year. Not only should he lead this team in receiving, but he can also be one of the most targeted players in the NFL by the season’s end (assuming he stays healthy).
Johnson’s hands have been much better so far this year and we already know he has the ability to separate at will as well as make the first defender miss in space. I said last year that he could be a special player if his game all comes together. It’s looking like he’s poised to take a big leap in 2021.