Steelers news: Lane Johnson praises T.J. Watt, ESPN hypes up George Pickens, and more

It won't be long before fans are taking the hillside at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe for Steelers training camp. After a wild offseason, things have been quiet for Omar Khan and the front office over the past few weeks. However, some players are starting to draw some buzz as we inch closer to the 2023 season.

This week, All-Pro offensive tackle, Lane Johnson, included T.J. Watt on a notable list, while ESPN has been busy patting George Pickens on the back. Here's the latest Steelers news.

Steelers news:

On Tuesday, future Hall of Fame offensive tackle Lane Johnson joined Richard Sherman's podcast 'The Volume' where he unveiled his list of the top five pass rushers in the NFL. In no particular order, T.J. Watt's name was mentioned.

This is interesting, as Watt and Johnson have only squared off against each other once in their NFL careers. The Steelers only play the Eagles in the regular season once every four years, and the only time these two players went toe-to-toe was in Week 4 of the 2020 season. In that game, Watt recorded 1 sack, 3 tackles for a loss, and 3 quarterback hits.

In addition to Watt, Myles Garrett and Maxx Crosby made the cut from the AFC, while two familiar opponents -- Micah Parsons and Demarcus Lawrence of the Cowboys -- rounded out the list.

More Steelers news

T.J. Watt wasn't the only Pittsburgh Steelers player receiving praise on Tuesday. Recently, ESPN's Bill Barnwell ranked the skill player groups on each NFL team. When it came to the Steelers, Barnell couldn't find enough good things to say about second-year wide receiver, George Pickens.

In addition to praising Pickens' eye-popping catch rate above what was expected, Barnell believes there's a chance he could unlock a new level as a potential star receiver in 2023. Admittedly, Pickens still has plenty of work to do as a route runner and when it comes to creating yards after the catch, but his ability to dominate at the catch point is a great sign for his career trajectory.

NFL news:

Recently, Chad Reuter of NFL.com finalized his predictions for the All-Rookie team in 2023. Just one Steelers player made the mark. Reuter had first-round offensive tackle Broderick Jones slotting in under Bears OT Darnell Wright on the list.

Defensively, Pittsburgh landed an impressive pair of second-rounders in CB Joey Porter Jr. and DL Keeanu Benton. However, Reuter believes that Jones will be the only Steelers player who makes the All-Rookie team following the season.