Pittsburgh Steelers Land Future QB In 7-Round 2022 NFL Mock Draft

Round 3, 84th Overall: Christian Watson, WR, North Dakota State

The wide receiver room for the Pittsburgh Steelers could look very different in 2022. They brought back JuJu Smith-Schuster on a one-year deal, but a shoulder injury sidelined him for most of the season. James Washington hasn’t really panned out in his time in Pittsburgh, and likely doesn’t return. Maybe Ray-Ray McCloud returns to be a part of special teams, but even then, the question of a WR3 remains.

The Steelers have their reliable separator in Diontae Johnson, and the hope is Chase Claypool improves at the catch point and can be a part of schemed touches like he was as a rookie. Now, they add a true speed threat who can win deep and be a part of things at the line of scrimmage in North Dakota State’s Christian Watson.

Watson is a size/speed threat at 6’4″ and 211 pounds. He was a nightmare to cover for Bison opponents in the FCS, possessing the speed to separate late on go routes. Watson also got touches on jet motion and quickly erased angles en route to chunk plays.

The main question for Watson entering Senior Bowl week was the route running, and he showed off an impressive release package, and fought through contact early in his routes to gain separation. He can be a deep threat with his field-tilting speed early on while improving at the catch point.