Why Steelers should avoid taking a WR in first round of NFL Draft

While the Steelers did have an active free agency, they certainly did not address wide receivers except to sign Gunner Olszewski.

So the Steelers will draft one. It’s more of a question of in which round. There are numerous wide receivers available in this year’s draft. As many as six could go in the first round, although only four likely go off the board.

Nonetheless, if the Steelers wanted to take one, they would have an opportunity. It may be unlikely they do that because the Steelers are taking a quarterback with their first selection. That issue notwithstanding, the Steelers wouldn’t want to draft a quarterback number one. They have unusually bad luck drafting wide receivers at number one.

They have taken three wide receivers, number one between 1971 and 1984. One eventually got a call from Canton, Lynn Swann. In 1983 Louis Lipps had moderate success. Frank Lewis, in 1971, was a decent receiver, and the Steelers probably underutilized him. He played mainly as a backup in Pittsburgh. Then after moving on to Buffalo, he became a starter and amassed 4638 receiving yards in six seasons over twice what he accrued in Pittsburgh, where he played seven seasons.

Once into the 90s, it’s not so much that the receivers were all bad; two of them legitimately were. The others became casualties of free agency only to have their careers go downhill upon leaving, which would make some wonder why they didn’t stay with the Steelers. Here are the four wide receivers from best to worst drafted as the number one by the Steelers.