The Pittsburgh Steelers, who were looking for a wide receiver to go opposite George Pickens, entered the 2024 NFL Draft.
Roman Wilson, a wide receiver from Michigan, was selected in the third round, but it’s unclear if he’ll be able to fill that kind of position as a rookie. He spent much of his college career playing in the spot, and on the outside, his 5106-pound height will be a challenge.
The Steelers have a lot of people in the wide receiver group, but it will take some time throughout OTAs and training camp to see who is ahead of Van Jefferson, Calvin Austin III, Scotty Miller, Quez Watkins, and the others.
Do they currently have enough at the position to go into the 2024 season without adding anyone else? They may be trying to find the answer to that throughout the course of OTAs.
Steelers source Ray Fittipaldo stated on the Post-Gazette’s North Short Drive podcast with Christopher Carter, “I think trade rumors and all that other stuff will resurface here later in the summer if Roman Wilson doesn’t step up and assume that number two job.”
Our Dave Bryan previously discussed how the Steelers will almost certainly need to acquire a wide receiver through trade, given the limited number of wide receivers available on the free agent market.
June 1, when teams can make post-June 1 deals to help spread out cap hits between this year and next, is the next date that could influence the market. Over the next month or two building up to camp, DK Metcalf, Courtland Sutton, and maybe a few 49ers receivers might resurface in the debate.
That being said, Roman Wilson has a genuine chance to gain a major position with the squad in Year 1, and he has made it clear that he is determined to do so ever since being drafted. Wilson stated a few weeks ago on the Steel Here podcast, “I want to start and I want to be the reason we win some of these games.”
He believed that the Steelers would select him with the 51st overall pick in the second round, which is consistent with rumors that he was the preferred choice in the event that Zach Frazier was unavailable.
Would people’s perceptions of his chances of being a Year 1 starter have changed if he had been selected in the second round? A guy in the second round should generally anticipate starting sooner rather than later, but his tape is his tape and his college experience in the spot wouldn’t have changed.
It may not have made sense to show second-round interest in a player the Steelers consider a pure slot receiver because Arthur Smith’s offensive scheme has not traditionally used slot receivers as much as other teams around the league.
Having said that, Omar Khan stated on the Jim Rome show after the draft that there is still work to be done in order to complete the roster before the season starts. Is that at cornerback, wide receiver, or both positions?
