Is wide receiver now a draft need for the Pittsburgh Steelers?
The Martavis Bryant era in Pittsburgh is officially over.
After rumors began swirling weeks ago that the Steelers were shopping the oft-troubled receiver, Bryant was traded to the Oakland Raiders during Thursday night’s NFL Draft for the Raider’s 2018 third round draft selection. While at that moment the move seemed surprising, looking at the overall picture it wasn’t. Bryant has had a bumpy road as far as an NFL career, including multiple suspensions with his last one seeing the receiver barred from the league for an entire year before jumping through multiple hurdles to be cleared for every phase of offseason football.
The result was Bryant missing time during the team’s training camp last season following a 16-month absence from football. His rust began to show early on in the season as Martavis failed to register any significant impact on the stat sheet. Turbulence between the player and team was further fueled during an offseason spat where Bryant told then Steelers receiver Sammie Coates that rookie receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster was “Coates’ replacement” (and not his) then escalated about halfway through the season when news leaked that Bryant was unhappy about his playing time.
While the article is about Bryant so far, the heart of this discussion is about that precisely: playing time. Pittsburgh is now looking at a receiver room which features Antonio Brown, Smith-Schuster, and two “lesser” Bryant types who are only under contract for one more year: Darrius Heyward-Bey and Justin Hunter.
Slot receiver Eli Rogers, who was injured in the team’s playoff game in January, currently remains an unsigned free agent.
That begs the question: did the wide receiver position suddenly become a draft “need” for Pittsburgh?
I’ll say it was always in the back of their mind. With the Steelers likely losing Bryant in free agency next season, there’s a good chance they were already considering his eventual replacement.
It’s also plausible they’re considering more than that, with only Brown and Smith-Schuster under currently under contract beyond 2018. The roster suddenly went from incredibly deep in 2017 to potentially lacking. The team said goodbye to Markus Wheaton, Sammie Coates, Cobi Hamilton, and Demarcus Ayers as part of a logjam of talent at the position last season.
Yet, I feel as though they’ll be quite alright and that this was the plan all along. Rogers could be re-signed once he returns to full health. DHB and Hunter aren’t terrible by any means, and when you consider their skillset along with Bryant’s decline in playing time and impact on the field, I believe a third-round pick in exchange for Bryant is a sweetheart of a deal. Lacking any firepower in the fourth and sixth rounds, the Steelers now jump in the middle of their own day two picks by acquiring the Raider’s selection. That will allow them to add to a group they were likely going to add on to already, with most of the receivers on the cusp of leaving anyway.
Steelers didn't plan on trading Martavis Bryant until they got offered a third-round pick, GM Kevin Colbert said. 'Wish Martavis nothing but the best,' he said.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) April 27, 2018
What the Steelers can now plan for is another rookie receiver to groom who will be under a four-year contract. There are a number of value picks who should be around throughout the remainder of the draft; should one of them also feature a skillset to return punts (something the team has been attempting to replace Brown at for years) that could come as a double bonus.
However, due to how little Bryant played, it’s also possible they add another body as a college free agent or simply roll with someone they like on their practice squad (such as Marcus Tucker). The Steelers are in their usual position of not having to reach for a player to fill what may look like a roster hole.
Playing Hunter or DHB in Bryant’s spot, the offense won’t skip a beat. Don’t forget that TE Vance McDonald will also get a full training camp and hopes to be healthier in 2018. Therefore, while we should expect the Steelers to make a move for another wide receiver over the course of the next two days, they may feel comfortable with what they already have.
If I were one to guess, they could take two receivers, as I did in my mock draft. Depending on how the board falls, the remaining draft selections should be interesting and will add a new dimension to the Steelers offense this upcoming season.
