Steelers fans need to ease back on the Jordan Addison hype

Jordan Addison is a name that many Pittsburgh Steelers fans are very familiar with, but here’s why we need to be careful not to overrate this NFL Draft prospect. 

Many Pittsburgh Steelers fans are also supporters of the Pitt Panthers. This is largely why there was such an array of opinions when it came to selecting quarterback Kenny Pickett in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Fans had a love-hate relationship with Pickett after seeing him in action over the past five years.

Even those who aren’t the biggest college football fans have no doubt qued up Pickett highlights or film from his college days. In seemingly every game, there was one other player on Pitt who was impossible not to notice: wide receiver, Jordan Addison.

In 2021 with Pickett still at the helm, Addison put up monstrous numbers for the Panthers as he recorded 100 receptions, 1,593 receiving yards, and 17 touchdowns in 14 games. Obviously, his wild production caught the attention of the national media, and he was soon on their radar as a future high draft choice.

This past year, Addison transferred to USC to play with the offensive mastermind, Lincoln Rily. While the production was nowhere near as spectacular this time around, Addison still managed 59 receptions, 875 yards, and 4 touchdowns in 11 games.

As we approach the offseason, Pittsburgh Steelers fans are falling head over heels for a wide receiver prospect they are very familiar with. Coincidentally, this comes in the wake of a very inefficient season by Diontae Johnson. However, we need to be careful not to view Addison as a better prospect than he is.

Addison is not the answer to Steelers offensive problems

There’s no question that Jordan Addison would help improve a Steelers offense that managed a dismal 18.1 points per game last season. The question is how much, and how high should the team value him in the 2023 NFL Draft.

I’ve watched a lot of Addison film so far. As much as I want him to be a guy that I would be banging the table for in the first round this April, I just don’t see the hype that is being created. While I do believe that Addison could be a high-end WR2 in the NFL if all goes well, he’s certainly not an elite wide receiver prospect.

Addison is expected to measure in under 6 feet tall at the NFL Combine, and he played at just 175 pounds this past season at USC. Though we have seen small receivers succeed in this league, his lack of size already puts him at a bit of a disadvantage.

In addition to being undersized, Addison has good (but not elite) athletic traits. This can be seen in the film. It’s not an issue, but it’s something that must be considered as well.

The biggest reason I think Addison is getting a little overhyped, however, is because this is a very poor wide receiver class. Last year, a whopping 10 receivers were selected before the Steelers took George Pickens. When you compare him to the top names in last year’s class like Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, Drake London, Jameson Williams, Jahan Dotson, and Treylon Burks, how many of these receivers would Addison go higher than?

It’s reasonable to think that if those receivers were in the 2023 draft class, Addison would pretty easily fall to the second round this year. However, because the competition is so limited at the position, a team is going to wind up taking him sooner than they should, as every team is always looking for wide receiver help.

The Steelers clearly need receiver help of their own, but I’m not sure if reaching on Jordan Addison is the way to go about that. Part of the problem Pittsburgh is already having right now is learning how to properly distribute targets, as Pickens and Pat Freiermuth should have earned more looks than they did in the passing game last season.

Jordan Addison would help Pittsburgh’s offense, but I’m not sure I can get behind taking a likely WR2 with the 17th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. There will be better players on my board when the Steelers are on the clock in the first round this April.