The Steelers have seemingly made their intentions clear at receiver, as the team has met with a slew of top prospects there at the combine.
While the talk about Steelers needs usually center on quarterbacks and offensive linemen, the team is clearly looking elsewhere based on their early meetings at the combine. While a notoriously stacked position in recent years, the receiver room fell on some hard times last season and is now set to potentially lose two of its top four guys. Pittsburgh will clearly utilize the draft to help rebuild this room.
It is no secret that James Washington and JuJu Smith-Schuster seem destined to test free agency. While Smith-Schuster has a shot at coming back, the team will almost certainly be losing Washington. They are clearly prioritizing this position, as they have, as of this writing, met with eight different receiving prospects. The team clearly wants to find another gem at receiver in this draft class.
Steelers aren’t just targeting anyone
This doesn’t seem like a typical list of mid-late-round receivers either for the team, as they are meeting with some legitimate first-round options as well as the rest landing somewhere on day two of the draft. The Steelers aren’t just going to wait and try to find someone late to fill a need. They want a top guy that can come in early and produce.
Names like Garrett Wilson, Jahan Dotson, and David Bell all have legitimate first-round potential in this class. The Steelers haven’t drafted a first-round receiver since Santonio Holmes, but a move like that appears more on the table than ever before. With the likelihood that more names are added to this list, don’t be surprised to see the team connected to multiple top receivers when the draft rolls around.
As well, one has to circle Christian Watson out of North Dakota St. after the team met with him both at the Senior Bowl and the Combine. There is a clear interest there, and with Watson’s draft stock flying high right now, the two parties should be linked together in the second round. He is a name to keep watching in Indianapolis.
What does this mean for the Steelers?
Simply put, the Steelers are going to be drafting a receiver earlier than many project right now. Frankly, I think they could grab one at pick 20 if certain other players don’t fall there, and at a minimum, I would expect a day two pick to be a receiver. The team can and should still add a free agent here but expect a top rookie to also find their way onto the roster.
All of this to say, don’t be surprised to see a receiver come off the board sooner rather than later for this team come draft day. They are clearly interested in some of the top names, and with the Steelers when there is smoke, there is fire. Expect the team to target this position early in the draft and come away with a rookie before the end of the third round.