The Pittsburgh Steelers have a hole to fill at the wide receiver position after trading Diontae Johnson earlier this offseason, and Peter Schrager believes it’s one the Steelers could make a splash to fill. In his first mock draft for NFL.com, Schrager has the Steelers selecting LSU WR Brian Thomas Jr. at No. 20 overall.
“I’m still keeping an eye on Steelers GM Omar Khan to make a splash at wide receiver this offseason,” Schrager writes. “Could that be a trade for Brandon Aiyuk? If not, Thomas is a special talent who helped himself at the Combine as much as any player at the position.”
While a trade for Aiyuk doesn’t seem very likely due to a number of reasons, many of them salary-related, the Steelers could make a splash by taking a wide receiver in the first round. The last time Pittsburgh took a first-round receiver was Santonio Holmes in 2006, although the team has found a lot of success with Day 2 and occasionally Day 3 receivers in the NFL draft.
With other holes to fill at center, offensive tackle and cornerback, it would be a little bit of a surprise if the Steelers targeted receiver in the first round, but with how much their offense has struggled, adding Thomas could help their offense climb back into the top half of the league. At the Combine, Thomas measured in at 6027 and 209 pounds and ran a 4.33 40-yard dash while having a vertical jump of 38.5 inches and a 10’6″ broad jump, posting an elite RAS score with those numbers.
Former NFL general manager Rick Spielman has compared Thomas to George Pickens, and if the Steelers find another receiver who can produce the way Pickens has through the first two seasons of his career, it would be a good sign for the upside of their offense. Last season, Thomas caught 68 passes for 1,177 yards and 17 touchdowns for LSU, and he’s a receiver the Steelers would likely have to target in the first round. Even in a deep receiver class, it’s highly unlikely Thomas would fall out of the first round.
As Schrager wrote, he could be a “special talent,” but the Steelers would have to weigh taking a receiver in the first over another position of need. In this mock, Graham Barton, Amarius Mims and Cooper DeJean all went in the first round after Pittsburgh’s selection, as did Zach Frazier, who went No. 29 to the Detroit Lions. The Steelers would have to decide if taking a first-round receiver gives them a better chance to win rather than targeting tackle, center, or cornerback. Notably, though, Jackson Powers-Johnson was not a first-round pick in this mock.
It could be exciting to see the Steelers target someone with the potential of Thomas, and it goes to show the number of different ways the Steelers can attack this draft. It’s going to be interesting to see what the team looks to do on April 25.
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