It’s no secret that the Steelers have excelled at churning out receivers over the past years. There has been a common theme among the Steelers successful receivers, beyond statistics and measurables: work ethic. It has enabled players to be great, as well being the downfall for some.

This factor is evident in the Steelers next product of their wide receiver factory: Sammie Coates.

Coates sat on the bench for the majority of 2015, but gave us a tease of his potential in the latter portion of the season, surprising many with his performance versus the Broncos with 2 catches for 61 yards.

You're looking at the future of the #steelers Sammie Coates! https://t.co/oiJY1PLfW8

— 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝗖𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗨𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 (@steelcityundrgr) August 3, 2016

Though his reception count may have been low, in these two plays he managed to showcase his athleticism and run-after-catch ability, exciting many for the future of this young player. Coates’ potential for this season go beyond stat sheets and stop watches: it’s his work ethic that will be the key for the receiver to go on to be special.

From the beginning Coates knew he would have to work harder than he ever has for this organization.

When you hear Steelers football, what do you think?

“I think of powerhouse and hard-working. The work ethic you see here, you don’t see anywhere else.”

Coates knew the organization had expectations of excellence and wouldn’t comprise on their standard of hard work. After a rookie season spent in less than ideal shape, Coates worked hard during the offseason to train and condition. In a recent interview with Ray Fittipaldo, Coates elaborated on his efforts this offseason;

“I worked my butt off to get where I am today. It started in the offseason when we first got done. I worked every day. When we got a little break before camp I worked out three times a day. I have to be available and stay on the field if I want to help the team win.”

Coates’ efforts didn’t go unnoticed either. In an interview with 93.7 The Fan, Todd Haley reinforced Coates statements on how hard he trained:

“He’s worked as hard as anybody in the offseason. Every time you went into the building whether it was a work day, non-work day, offseason, he was there. And when you see those kind of things it gives you confidence and it gives the players around him confidence.”

Many players can run fast and jump high, but not all of them have the drive to get better.

This is the key for Coates to breakout in 2016. Coates was certainly a project coming out of college, but pair his natural abilities of speed, height, and athleticism with diligent work ethic and you have a player with the potential to be a star in this league. Coates is fortunate to have Antonio Brown and James Harrison to learn from as well. Both players are excellent to learn from, for they got where they are due to relentless hard work, and unwavering work ethic.

It’s not uncommon at all to see videos online of Harrison doing god-like workouts or Brown tethered to the jugs machine. Coates is undoubtedly absorbing all he can from these legendary players, which does nothing but raise his ceiling.

All signs point to Coates being the next product from the Steelers wide receiver factory. His vigorous offseason and already impressive training camp performance give us every reason to think Coates will have a huge season in 2016.