3 times the Steelers hit 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.
As opposed to my previous article on pumping the brakes on expectations for Washington, I’m here today to tell Steelers Nation to maybe hit the gas on how the rookie will impact the team this season.
I previously pointed out three high draft picks, that is, players taken in rounds one, two, or three, who didn’t live up to their draft day pedigree during Mike Tomlin’s reign as Pittsburgh’s head coach.
Now I want to talk about three picks who potentially achieved more than we could’ve ever imagined after being drafted by the Steelers.
Mike Wallace
A third-round selection in 2009, Wallace stormed onto the scene as Ben Roethlisberger‘s big play receiver. Wallace would catch 39 passes for 756 yards and 6 touchdowns in his rookie season before helping the Steelers return to the Super Bowl in 2010 behind a 60-catch 1,257-yard season and 10 touchdowns: his highest yard total of his career to date.
Wallace’s next-best receiving season would be his next in 2011 with 1,193 yards. His 72 receptions are tied for one shy of his career single season high, while his 8 touchdowns would equal the same amount scored in his final season as a Steeler in 2012, where Wallace was demanding a big contract by sitting out of training camp.
The team decided to reward little-known Antonio Brown, instead, a controversial move at the time that has paid big dividends. However, Wallace’s contributions to the team can’t be understated. He caught 235 passes for 4,042 yards and 32 touchdowns in four seasons with the Steelers.
Those numbers continued to help him find work after his big payday in Miami didn’t quite pan out. Wallace moved on to the Viking and Ravens following his two seasons with the Dolphins and is currently entering camp this season with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Emmanuel Sanders
One of three real receiver “finds” in back-to-back drafts (along with Wallace and Antonio Brown) Sanders had a slow start to his NFL career, with nagging injuries that saw him on the bench at times. The silver lining is that those injuries allowed Brown to receive more playing time, however, Sanders was a formidable receiver in his own right during and after his Steelers career.
The former third-round pick missed eight games in his first two seasons with Pittsburgh but played in every game over his final two years with the team, which were his most productive. Sanders would catch 111 passes for 1,366 yards and 7 touchdowns over those pair of seasons before becoming a two-time Pro Bowl receiver and winning a Super Bowl with the Denver Broncos over the last four years.
JuJu Smith-Schuster
It’s still early in his career, but Smith-Schuster’s rookie season has set a high bar for the incoming Washington.
Smith-Schuster burst onto the scene midway through the 2017 season, as the then youngest player in the NFL started a three-game scoring streak with a 7-catch 193-yard game sandwiched between wins against the Bengals and Colts.
JuJu would go on to have three 100-plus yard games en route to a total 58 reception, 917 yard and 7 touchdown season. If he continues on the same pace, there’s no reason to believe he shouldn’t match, or exceed, the numbers put up by his predecessors.
