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NFL Draft Experts Suggest Steelers Pick WR
Analysts believe the Pittsburgh Steelers need an impact wide receiver and there could be an option early in the NFL Draft.
PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers' wide receivers room looks thin as it's presently constructed. With Diontae Johnson gone and some limited options waiting behind George Pickens to fill the remainder of the starting wideout corps.
With that in mind, two NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah and Bucky Brooks - both former NFL scouts - believe that the Steelers should target a playmaker in the first round of the coming NFL Draft.
"There is not enough here. There is not enough firepower, especially in the AFC that's as stacked as it is," Jeremiah said during the latest episode of Move the Sticks. "I don't know if it's at 20, we've been talking about offensive line for them potentially at 20. Maybe they go in a different direction. They need some impact. They need an impact receiver, man. Bad."
Brooks had one target in mind - LSU's Brian Thomas Jr. Brooks believes Thomas' big-play ability mirrors what new Steelers starting quarterback Russell Wilson had in Seattle with DK Metcalf.
"So what I'm hearing is you're saying you want to try out Brian Thomas Jr. and George Pickens," Brooks said. "What did Russell have when he was at his best, right? And so then you look at, oh, he had a long receiver like DK Metcalf when he was throwing those deep balls. ... So maybe that is the way the Steelers go, saying, we'll get outside. We can come back and come back and get an interior blocker, a tackle or whatever in the second round and be able to do it."
At 6'2 and 209 pounds, Thomas offers an imposing, physical frame that represents a stark difference from the smaller, more precise route-runner in Johnson. But Thomas could help the Steelers continue to stretch the field vertically and create some bigger plays. His 17 touchdown receptions in 13 games during the 2023 season prove as much.
The Steelers have a lot of needs and it be difficult to pass on a center, offensive tackle or cornerback if one is there at pick No. 20, but with wide receiver standing as such a desperate need, adding Thomas is not completely out of the question.
