Steelers' Receiving Corps Needs Major Boost In 2023, But Is This Shifty Runner Too Much Of A Reach?

Welcome to the pre-draft season! Leading up to the 2023 NFL Draft starting on April 27th, we will be releasing draft profiles of prospects who could potentially see themselves on the Pittsburgh Steelers. Next up…

Steelers’ Draft Prospect: Josh Downs (Wide Receiver), University of North Carolina, Junior

OVERVIEW: As we continue to navigate our way through the league’s free agency circus, the Steelers’ receiving corps has been left in shambles. As of Sunday, the names who top the depth chart are Diontae Johnson, who was held to zero touchdowns in 2022, George Pickens, coming off a strong rookie campaign, Calvin Austin III, who is coming off an injury that held him out of the 2022 season, Anthony Miller, who is looking to reignite his career after suffering a major knee injury in 2022, and Gunner Olszewski, who entered camp in 2022 with a lot of promise, only to fizzle out on both offensive and special teams duties. There is a slew of names on a shortlist behind them, but the need of top-tier talent at the receiving position is clear and obvious.

If we consider the current state of the receiving market, it has been significantly whittled down. Odell Beckham Jr. is the only premier name left available, but this may simply be a pipe dream for the Steelers. We’ve been tracking the auctioning of DeAndre Hopkins out of the Arizona Cardinals, but his price tag is one the Steelers can’t afford. Therefore, the Steelers will need to rely on their reputable love of drafting young pass catchers and developing them. 

Since Head Coach Mike Tomlin joined the team in 2007, the Steelers have called 18 different receivers throughout the draft and signed a plethora of others who went undrafted to join the following rookie minicamp. It is safe to assume the Steelers will be looking to dip themselves back into the receiving pool and it may come sooner than what fans think. This is why it is smart some Steelers brass made the trip down to Chapel Hill, North Carolina to take a good look at Josh Downs.

PROS: Downs brings an elite level of fluidity into his play style. He possesses great footwork and is able to get off the line effortlessly. Downs has great route running ability and his able to keep his hips low on breaks to throw off the defensive back at the top of his routes. He finished second at the combine in overall athleticism and uses that to his advantage. Downs has the sufficient speed and elusiveness and was a yards-after-catch (YAC) machine in college. 

Where Downs thrives is in the middle of the field, otherwise known as the slot position. He brings a unique level of toughness and versatility to the position and can take a hit and still keep his balance. He has strong hands to make contested catches across the middle of the field and has a nose for the chains. Using his speed and agility, he’s able to break plays open and pick up large amounts of yardage after the catch. In his last two seasons in college, Downs posted 195 receptions for 2,364 yards and 19 touchdowns. It is that productivity that is feeding the much-warranted hype surrounding Downs heading int the draft.

CONS: Downs came into the combine measuring 5’9” and weighing 171 pounds. Needless to say, this is smaller than what scouts like to see in a top-end receiving prospect. This size may lead to Downs getting lost on plays behind larger defenders in the middle of the field or getting thrown off his route in press-man coverage. In addition, Downs tends to operate with little discipline in his routes. He seemed to give up on plays before getting to the top of his route and would fall out of his position during the play. In addition to his route discipline, drops has been an issue with Downs in his college career as well. Steelers fans are all too familiar with the narrative surrounding Johnson and drops, but I find it noteworthy that Downs’ drop rate stands at two percent. However, it is those big-moment, gotta-have-it scenarios where they occurred that is the catalyst behind this concern.

The biggest reasons as to why scouts may downgrade Downs is his size combined with where he best lines up in the formation. Typically, scouts and coaches like to see bigger bodies lining up in the slot than what Downs has. Although he has quick feet and athletic ability, he doesn’t necessarily have that true breakaway speed. If we take all of that and combine it with his lackadaisical discipline in his route tree, Downs will need to show he is able to be coached up to succeed at the next level. 

DRAFT PROJECTION: 2nd Round

This year’s receiving draft class looks a bit different than others previously. With names such as Quentin Johnson, Jordan Addison, Zay Flowers, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Downs is fighting an uphill battle into the round one conversation. Not to mention with other teams having higher needs in the opening round, this will force Downs to wait until the Friday rounds to hear his name be called. But that does not mean he will be waiting long. We can consider Downs a solid second-round pick.

VERDICT: To reiterate, the Steelers need help at the receiver position. While Austin III still carries some of the optimism at surrounded him a year ago, it is too early and tough to tell how he’ll perform in 2023. With there being very little depth behind some average pass-catchers, the Steelers need top-tier talent to add to the receiving corps. 

Of course, the argument of positional priority lingers. Is the need at finding a solid receiver to help round out the group higher than adding to the secondary? Or, is that need higher than bulking up the interior of the defensive line? While the jury is still out on that verdict, the point remains; the Steelers like drafting receivers and they need to do so in 2023. With three selections set within the first 50 overall picks, who is not to say they use the 32nd overall selection on Downs? With both the cornerback and defensive tackle classes showing to be deeper than the receivers, I’d argue it would make more sense to grab top-end receiving talent early, and take advantage of the depth at the other positions. The Steelers seemed to do well the last time they called a receiver in the second round of the draft.

Where do you see Downs going in April? Would you want to see him in the black and gold? Let us know in the comments!

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