The Pittsburgh Steelers came into the 2023 season with plenty of optimism about their receiver room. Diontae Johnson, despite his tribulations with drops over the years, is a quarterback's best friend with his ability to get open. George Pickens started emerging in the second half of the 2022 season, developing a great rapport with Kenny Pickett. Steelers brass made a trade to acquire savvy veteran receiver Allen Robinson II from the Los Angeles Rams at minimal cost. Speedster Calvin Austin III was expected to bring a fun new element to the offense after missing his whole rookie campaign with an injury.
Associated Press
Steelers' Calvin Austin III breaks away for a touchdown against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 3 of the 2023 season.
Fast forward to now, after the team has played eight games, and things aren't looking as flattering as Steeler Nation might've hoped. Ray Fittipaldo is a beat writer covering the team for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and on a recent episode of The North Shore Drive Podcast that he does with Cristopher Carter, said that Pittsburgh will need to be thinking about drafting a pass catcher early in the 2024 NFL Draft.
"I think you can pretty much guarantee a receiver in the first three rounds," he said. "If you look at the Steelers track record, they've always got guys relatively early in drafts. I think they can do that again."
Fittiplado acknowledged the team has a somewhat new front office with Omar Khan leading the way. He pointed to Assistant General Manager Andy Weidl's experience with the Philadelphia Eagles where they tried on early receivers with Jalon Reagor in 2020 and DeVonta Smith in 2021, both in the first round. One has been a pretty big success paired with AJ Brown, and the other is struggling after bouncing around the league since his selection.
Fittipaldo qualified the team's need for another receiver by pointing to the team's current third options and the struggles they've had developing into consistent options for Pickett.
Steelers' Robinson And Austin Not The Answer As Third Receiver
While there is plenty of worry in Pittsburgh about the antics of Pickens since his numbers dropped with the return of Johnson from injury, Fittipaldo said the team just isn't getting enough out of Austin or Robinson to consider them as real possibilities as the third receiver going forward.
Benjamin B. Braun / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Steelers veteran wide receiver, Allen Robinson running through drills during Organized Team Activities (OTAs) in Pittsburgh, PA.
Robinson has made some big third-down catches to help Pittsburgh move the chains, but hasn't produced. He's got 19 catches for 154 yards in 2023. 64 of those yards on five receptions against the San Francisco 49ers after Johnson went down, and Pittsburgh was throwing to try to mount any kind of a comeback in the blowout loss.
Fittipaldo complained that Austin doesn't have a defined function in the offense and that limits his upside.
"Other than jet sweeps and taking the top off the defense, which sometimes works, and sometimes doesn’t, usually doesn’t, what’s his role," he asked rhetorically. "There’s no intermediate passing game with him. I just don’t see him developing into a top-three tier receiver in any offense."
He's got the one touchdown on a long bomb by Pickett against the Raiders and might've had another one against the Tennessee Titans if the throw from Pickett was further out in front of him, but hasn't produced much of anything else. Part of that, Fittipaldo explained, was Pickett trying to hit the diminutive speedster with back shoulder throws that are typically easier for bigger guys, but his skill set and size limit him in what he can do.
-544x306.jpg "Steelers Mike Tomlin George Pickens Diontae Johnson")
Steelers.com
Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin talks with receivers George Pickens (#14) and Diontae Johnson (#18) after repeated taunting calls against the Los Angeles Rams.
Now, not all of the issues with Robinson and Austin's production this season have been their doing. Pickett has struggled with accuracy, which has been detrimental to the whole group.
Johnson and Pickens are penciled into the top two spots for the near future, with the former signed through 2024 and the latter still on his rookie deal. Austin is likely still a factor, but as Fittipaldo outlined, a true number three option is needed.
Do you think Robinson and Austin have provided enough as Pittsburgh's mesh of a third receiver? Would you look to draft a receiver early in 2024? Comment below!
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