Steelers mock draft: Connecting the dots with Pittsburgh's interests

Steelers mock draft round 2: WR Josh Downs

It is becoming more likely that the Steelers invest in a receiver early in this draft, as the group is slim and the bulk of impact-free agents have signed elsewhere. They have looked at quite a few day-two receivers, and the one that generated a lot of buzz was Josh Downs.

Downs is a prototypical slot receiver at the NFL level. He lacks elite size, but he runs extremely sharp routes and finds ways to get open. He is a threat with the ball in his hands as well, as he can consistently make guys miss and turn short passes into big gains. Despite his size, he is a competitive contested catch threat as well.

Because of his size, the ceiling isn’t incredibly high for Downs. He will never be an elite down-the-field threat, but he should be a dependable slot receiver that can move the chains and do some damage after the catch. That was a spot this team was miserable at in 2022, so getting Downs would be a big help in that regard. Receiver is going to get added at some point, and Downs could be an instant contributor.