3 times the Steelers missed on drafting receivers high
With the addition of Oklahoma State wide receiver James Washington in the second round of this year’s NFL Draft, Steelers fans have become anxious with what the rookie’s impact will be in 2018.
I’m here today to tell Steelers Nation to maybe pump the brakes on having high expectations, at least for now.
I don’t want to sound all “doom and gloom” and will address times the Steelers have hit high draft picks (that is, players taken in rounds one, two, or three) but want to talk about those receivers who didn’t live up to their draft day pedigree, who were selected during Mike Tomlin’s reign as Pittsburgh’s head coach.
Here are three of those recent picks whom didn’t quite work out the way we all wanted.
Limas Sweed
Possibly one of the most disappointing picks of the modern Steelers era, Sweed was taken in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft after sharply falling from being one of the top two prospects, to the ninth player taken at his position (due to an injury).
What felt like a draft steal soured over time as stories surrounding Sweed’s enthusiasm as well as dropped passes, injuries, and off-field “personal issues” slowly ate away at his professional football career. He was quickly passed by other receivers taken in subsequent seasons. Players such as Mike Wallace, Emmanuel Sanders and Antonio Brown quickly made Sweed an afterthought once the former high pick was placed on IR in 2010.
He would be released in September of 2011 after appearing in only 20 games for the Steelers in 2008 and 2009. During that period of time he would be targeted only 15 times, catching 7 of those passes for 69 yards in the regular season. He would catch two passes for 20 yards during the Steelers 2008 Super Bowl run, but would fail to score a touchdown during his time in Pittsburgh.
Markus Wheaton
When Mike Wallace left Pittsburgh as a high-dollar free agent, the team invested a third-round pick in his would-be replacement, Markus Wheaton.
Similar in size, speed and other attributes, the Oregon State receiver was thought to seamlessly fit into the Steelers offense. However, Wheaton would only start one game his rookie season, catching a mere six passes for 64 yards.
In 2014, Pittsburgh drafted Martavis Bryant, who eventually cut into Wheaton’s targets and playing time. Still, 2014 was a banner year for Wheaton, who caught 53 passes for 644 yards and two TDs. He would top that mark in 2015 with 44 receptions, 749 yards and 5 touchdowns, but was nowhere near Bryant’s equal as the team’s WR2.
A shoulder injury removed Wheaton from the team’s plans in 2016, and saw the Steelers move on from Markus the following season. Wheaton has only caught 7 passes for 102 yards in the last two seasons, appearing in a total of 14 games (11 in 2017 with the Chicago Bears).
Wheat will be best remembered for a few incredible catches during his career, but amidst the Antonio Brown’s and Martavis Bryant’s of his Black and Gold tenure, he will be largely forgotten as just another name on the depth chart.
Sammie Coates
Yet another third-round pick who struggled to carve out playing time in his rookie season, Coates eventually entered his sophomore season with a bang. Through five games of the 2016 season, Coates had six receptions of 40 or more yards, including a 6-catch 139-yard and 2 touchdown game against the Jets, where Sammie may have had more receptions and another score if not for dropped passes.
Dropped passes and a disappearing act from the field became routine for Coates following his explosive start to the season. He would only catch two more passes the rest of the season and soon became the subject of controversy when it was revealed that he may have been playing with broken fingers. In addition, Martavis Bryant was scheduled to return from a year-long suspension and the team also drafted JuJu Smith-Schuster.
A spat between Coates and Bryant eventually saw each leave the team, with Coates being traded to the Cleveland Browns following the conclusion of last season’s training camp.
