Steelers mock draft: Pittsburgh reaches to fill biggest needs

Steelers mock draft round 2: WR John Metchie III

There are a wide array of opinions on Alabama wide receiver, John Metchie III. Some believe that he’s a terrific value in the mid-second round while others believe he should be closer to a late day-two or early day-three pick. I tend to be in the camp with the latter.

Metchie is certainly coming from a terrific college football program, and Alabama has an excellent track record when it comes to developing NFL talent at the WR position. However, I think it’s fair to say that he’s certainly not in the same tier as former teammates who have come out before him like DeVonta Smith, Jerry Jeudy, Henry Ruggs, or Jaylen Waddle.

This past year, he played second fiddle to speedster Jameson Williams (who is projected to be a top-20 pick this year). At 5’11 1/4” and 187 pounds, Metchie’s body type isn’t much different from other receivers they have drafted under Mike Tomlin like Antonio Brown, Emmanuel Sanders, or Diontae Johnson.

However, Metchie doesn’t have much wow-factor to his game and he projects as a low-end WR2 or high-end WR3 at the next level. There are certainly receivers I will like better in the second round, but even with Metchie coming off an injury, the Steelers are sure to love his production from an elite football program.