2019 NFL Draft: Pittsburgh Steelers first round options
Wide Receiver
The wide receiver position isn’t one of dire need for the Steelers, but it’s hard to go into 2019 without talking about the loss of Antonio Brown. Losing Brown puts a ton of pressure on Juju Smith-Schuster in 2019, and he will see the type of looks Brown usually received.
This means Smith-Schuster will need help to alleviate the pressure. Ryan Switzer and James Washington are on the roster, and while those two are nice players, and Washington could keep developing, neither is a bona fide stud yet. That’s where getting one of these three players could be an option on NFL Draft night.
The first of the three is Ole Miss wide receiver D.K. Metcalf. Wherever you stand on Metcalf, it’s hard to ignore the athletic testing for someone his size (yes the three cone wasn’t great, we know).
When the film turns on, the potential there is sky high. He has a great release off the line of scrimmage, and has the speed to blow by defenders. Combine that with strong hands and his skills after the catch, and Metcalf has the full package. The concerns with Metcalf are the agility and injury history. As far as agility goes, Metcalf is a better route runner than his agility testing would suggest. But, the injury is concern is a fair one.
Hakeem Butler is the next of the three to consider at 20 overall. Butler, like Metcalf, destroyed the combine and put up insane numbers for his 6’5″, 227 pound frame. He would be an immediate red zone success in Pittsburgh, as he makes contested catches look easy. Butler also dominates after the catch with his physicality and better change of direction skills than advertised. Two areas of improvement for Butler would be his route running and release, which comes with more reps. Like Metcalf, there’s a ton of potential there.
The final one to consider would be Marqise Brown. Brown has a very different build and skill set than the previous two mentioned. For one, he’s a very small receiver, listed at just 5’9 3/8″ and 166 pounds. Brown is also a vertical threat with explosiveness after the catch. It’s entirely possible that he would’ve had the best time at the combine if not for an injury.
He is a very good route runner who separates with ease, and he has what it takes to be a vertical receiver with his quickness and technique. His vision and dominance after the catch is also impressive. As mentioned before, he did suffer a Lisfranc injury at the end of the season, and injuries are always something to monitor, especially with a 166 pound receiver.