With training camp right around the corner for the Steelers, here are their four most underrated players entering this season.
The Steelers roster is made up of a lot of new faces, but despite the amount of change this offseason, there are still quite a few underrated players on the roster. An underrated player doesn’t have to be elite; they just have to be better than what the fanbase gives them credit for.
With all of that said, here are the Steelers four most underrated players entering camp this season.
Steelers underrated player #4
A player who received an unfair amount of criticism is Chukwuma Okorafor. The former third-round pick has developed into an average tackle, but his game lacks dominance. He holds his own as a tackle even if he is rarely making a huge impact. He is consistent, you know what to expect with him, and despite the hate he receives, he is an ok starter at tackle.
If you most of Steelers nation about Okorafor though, you would get a vastly different answer. Some treat him like a literal turnstile and believe he doesn’t have the ability to start. This is coming off a season where Okorafor was arguable the team’s most consistent lineman. Again, he isn’t some sort of elite tackle, but he certainly deserves to start.
I get it, the contract he signed was rich, especially for an average tackle, but don’t let that take away from what the Steelers have in Okorafor. He is an average starter on a line that should be improving. He isn’t a liability nor is he horrible at blocking. Treating him as either is a biased response to how he has performed.
Steelers underrated player #3
A name that gets a huge deal of unjustified hate is Chris Wormley. The former Raven had a slow start to his Steelers career after he was traded for. Last season he had to step up in a major way though, as he was the primary replacement for Stephon Tuitt. In turn, he put up a career season and was a small bright spot on an otherwise mediocre run defense.
Don’t mistake Wormley for a player of Tuitt’s caliber. He isn’t, but he can hold his own as a limited starter and thrives as rotational depth. He plays the run well and has a good set of pass rush moves. He lacks the elite quickness or ability to counter as Cameron Heyward does, but for a starting defensive end, Wormley is serviceable.
While the Steelers are prepared with more options to replace Tuitt this season, don’t mistake that for Wormley not having a role. Odds are he will be the base defensive end and still see some rotational snaps in passing situations. He has earned that role after his 2021 season. No, he isn’t an elite lineman, but the team could do much worse than relying on Wormley to start.
Steelers underrated player #2
Diontae Johnson has had a tough offseason, and most of those issues have almost nothing to do with how he has acted so far. Johnson is entering the final year of his deal, and he justifiably wants a new deal to be negotiated. The rising cost of receivers has seemingly caused the fanbase to turn on him, and as a result, people are underrating the starting pass catcher.
Let me clear the air: Johnson is a top-15 receiver in the league. He is a smooth route runner who can turn any play into a big one. Yes, he has had drop issues, but compare that to his overall skill set and it doesn’t close his case as a top receiver. On top of all of this, he doesn’t act like a diva. Despite wanting a new deal, he has still been an active participant with the team through the offseason.
You can make the argument that Johnson isn’t worth what a new deal would pay him, but you can’t say he isn’t good either. This passing offense would have been nothing without him last season. He improved his game after a tough second season, and it showed on the field. Even if you aren’t in favor of giving him a new deal, you can’t argue the fact that Johnson is one of the better receivers playing right now.
Steelers underrated player #1
The hate Terrell Edmunds gets as a player is really too much. Sure, the former first-round pick had a slow start to his career, and he hasn’t been a dynamic player all the time, but he isn’t a bad starter. He has made small improvements every season to this point, and now he is a solid starter who you know what to expect during any given game.
It seems like Edmunds has an unfair perspective due to his early struggles. Similar to a Bud Dupree, Edmunds took a few seasons to find his way. That led to a group lambasting him and claiming he was a bust. While his improvements haven’t been as obvious as Dupree’s, he has still become a steady starter. Yet, there are still people that hold the same opinions about him as before.
While Edmunds isn’t perfect as a player, he knows this defense and is an average starter in this secondary. Anyone saying otherwise is wrong. People seem set on only viewing him as a bust due to his slow start to his career. I expect a good season out of him though, as he has continuously improved and is set to benefit from a great defense around him.
The Steelers have a very new roster around them, and that has allowed some of their current players to fall under the radar. No matter if it is due to contract statuses or previous opinions being proven wrong, these four Steelers enter training camp as extremely underrated.