Rank your Steelers WR's

1) Mapletron. He was in my want list in the draft. I would have taken Dobbins. I had concerns over Claypools hands. He has proven me wrong. Kid is a freak of nature.

2) JuJu. I was not the biggest fan of him in the field. I felt he was a great compliment to AB, but that was his ceiling. The guy is a Hines Ward bring your lunch pail to work guy. I really hope he stays next year. I think he is a good teammate and good for moral.

3) Washington. Does not get the looks I want to see him get... but again.. just a hard worker who will fight for every inch and every ball. I think he should see the field a little more often

4) Ray Ray. This is the guy I think could take it the distance every time he touches the ball. Like to see them get it to him in space a little more. Line him up at HB force a LB to cover him into the flats... and see what happens.

5) DJ. The most talented WR. That's what we keep reading and hearing. AB like in his skill set. Maybe it's true. Just makes it all the more aggravating to not see it translat onto the field. Which means to me it's most likely a between the ears issue. When he is actually healthy enough to play.. you can almost guarantee a few drops or a bounce off the facemask. I would love to see him put it together week after week, but have not seen it yet.


HACK

 

JuJu
Still the Steelers most complete receiver.

Claypool
Needs to tighten up his ball security, but man is he going to be special.

DJ
Needs to stay on the field. He is having a tough season in a sense, but has still been solid when he plays.

Washington
Seems like the forgotten man in this offense, but I think it is just a case of not having enough balls to go around.

Ray Ray
I love him as a return man, but as a WR he is clearly behind the other 4.

 

Alright Hack, here I go!!


1.) Chase Claypool:

I am running out ways to praise this rookie. So, I will just say it; Superstar in the making. The title of best NFL Wide Receiver might be D.K. Metcalf's for now but he will not be unchallenged for much longer. Chase is not too far off in terms of potential, talent and impact. Give Chase some more time and watch him duke it out for that claim.


2.) JuJu Smith Schuster:


Heading into the season, I figured that JuJu would have a much better opportunity given the addition of Chase Claypool and therefore become a more complete Wide Receiver. He has done that..... just not in the way that I initially thought. He is becoming less of a superstar highlight reel and more of an intermediate to short impact playmaker. Granted, he still does not have top end speed but what he lacks in speed, he makes up for in toughness and grit. Teams now have a hard choice between JuJu and Chase in two major ways;

1. Should JuJu be doubled so that the chains do not move?!
2. Should Chase be doubled so the deep passing game be neutralized?!

The classic case of pick your poison. Someone will be left by themselves and the other will be double teamed. One team cannot double both even if they have the Defensive Backs to do so for that leaves one to two others in one on one situations.



3.) James Washington:



Initially drafted to be the original "Thermonuclear Option" to replace Martavis Bryant, James sadly has not developed into that player for the team. However, while he may not be the Martavis successor like I thought he would be, he has transformed his game into something much better; a consistent target. He does not have the technical nuances of the Route Tree like JuJu does. That said, among the Wide Receiving Corps, say hello to the most hard working Receiver on the team. Again, do not expect him to see the attention that JuJu nor Chase have from opposing defenses. That said, the one on one matchups allow James Washington to box out many of the NFL's Nickelbacks and allow him to work the middle of the field. While he can be counted on in the Red Zone, he is best used to pick up those tough but needed yards when the likes of JuJu or even Chase are getting double teamed. Oddly enough, between him and Diontae Johnson, I would rather have Washington in the slot as he is the more physical of the two; a type of player few Slot CBs/Safeties would want to contend with.




4.) Diontae Johnson:



If we are talking pure talent and skill alone; him and Chase are 1A and 1B for me. No other duo of Receivers would put more fear and terror than these two when both are firing on all cylinders. Well.... that is just the issue. Chase has been full stop since his arrival. Diontae though?!..... not so much. His biggest shortcoming has been availability as he has missed some time dating back to his Rookie Season. Even when healthy though, he is the most consistently inconsistent player on the team; Receiver or otherwise. For that matter, his play is a near Carbon Copy of the Offense's performance thus far; explosive yet inconsistent. For every great series Diontae seems to have, he has at least one or two head scratching plays. Even with his shortcomings, no other Receiver not named Chase Claypool matches what Diontae can bring in terms of a talent standpoint. From running routes that can fool even the best Corners to making even the most astute players miss in the open field; Diontae Johnson is a big play highlight reel waiting to happen. Just needs to find his consistency.



5.) Ray Ray McCloud:



To be quite honest, heading into the 2020 Season, I knew very little about Ray Ray. Despite coming from a Power 5 powerhouse in Clemson, Ray Ray has bounced around the league quite a bit before arriving here and I was expecting Deon Cain to actually be in this spot instead. While it did take some time to get to know him, after a Week Three contest against the Houston Texans, I think it is safe to say we have a reliable Special Teams option. Gone are the days of Ryan Switzer and the aforementioned inconsistency of Diontae Johnson and hello to Ray Ray. Not just his abilities in the Special Teams either though as he has shown the ability to make people miss in the open space when running the WR Screens. This allows the Offense to not solely rely on Chase Claypool and instead go for another option in Ray Ray. Granted, he only has two rushing attempts on the season but I would like it for that number to pick up as the season goes on. Having a multi array of attack patterns within an Offense keeps the opponent honest and further augments ones Offensive Strike Power. Ray Ray is capable of becoming more than just a Special Teams Return Man.... just needs the opportunities to do so.




That will do it for me Hack!! Hope you enjoyed!!! I was going to include Eric Ebron but you stated Wideouts and not Receiving Options in the title!

 

I agree Right Down the Line with your assessment DJ has scared me from day one and he continues to be unimpressive

 

I don't need to rank them, all I know is they have four good WRs.

 

Love what we have on the field. Just hope they have a QB in the future.

 

I agree with Hack up above and all I know is that we have a lot of options for Ben to throw to and not just WRs but Conner/RBS and the TE"s. Even Glass can peel off a block to catch a dump pass and move the chains. Seems Ben is concentrating on passes 15 yrs and closer and is getting the ball out of his hands so much quicker than he used to. On a couple of plays I've seen him holding on too long the inevitable happens and he goes down. If we can control the LOS, how does another team cover so much. We're in great shape here as long as we are calling the right plays.

 

What I couldn't see this past game is why have Samuel our no. 3 running back lining up and taking the place of one of these receivers. Makes no sense, and by the way he dropped all three passes that hit him in the hands.

 

1. Mapletron
2. DJ
3. Juju
4. Washington
5. Ray Ray

 

So This is how I see it..... we have four potentially Great WR struggling and a very dangerous RETURNER/wr....

1) JuJu- The most complete and reliable Receiver we have.

2) Chase (aircanada) - The most Dangerous Receiver we have, but he’s limited to Bens Arm.... He’s a deep threat with a QB who struggle with the deep ball.

3) Washington - Great hands and speed and strength, Rte running is his Achilles heel.... That and he&Ben struggle to be in the same page.

4) DJ- Could be one of the Most Dangerous WR in the league...... means nothing if he can’t get on and stay on the field

5) Ray Ray—— he wasn’t kept on the roster for his receiving ability but his returning skills...... nuff said..... Very happy he’s here

This is how I see it!!!!
Short and sweet.....

Cajun

 

Samuels was a Great receiving RB and really really good hands. Too small to play TE so he’s used situationally to move the chains!!!!!

Problems is last year he showed he was avg running the ball and suspect at pass blocking...... This year his hands has turned to stone, I doubt he finishes the season on the 53man roster. Hopefully Watt returns sooner than later.

Cajun

 

I haven’t given up on Mason just yet!! He showed a lot of promising things last year. Hopefully with this year watching Ben again and with Our new QB coach he’ll settle down in the pocket. He has a very good arm, pocket awareness was his biggest issue.

Cajun

 

1) Juju - Juju does it all. He's physical, blocks well, has great control and can make the deep pass. He's super underrated and by far the Steelers best receiver, bar none.

2) Claypool - with the Steelers' mess of a salary cap, it's likely Juju is gone in 2021 and I think Claypool blossoms to be a top-10 receiver in football.

3) Johnson - I'm not sure he's anymore talented than Washington or Ray Ray but he seems to be on the same page as Ben and has become a legitimate safety blanket.

4) Washington - Give the man his chances. He's a good receiver who seems to never be targeted. His hands continue to improve and I think he could be a fast riser here.

5) Ray Ray - SPEEEDDD!

 

• JuJu
• 
  
• Claypool
• 
  
• Dionte
• 
  
• Washington
• 
  
• McCloud

 

Agree with stone hands this year, to me if they go 5 wide, I would rather see Ray Ray at receiver or even Ebron instead of Samuel.

 

As a group, I rank them above all other teams in the AFC North, and better than most in the AFC.

I see no reason to differentiate them by talent. Other than catching the ball, they have complimentary talents that contribute a successful team.

 

If we are including tightends

6. Ebron
7. VM

 

I think the plus of having Samuels in there, is it likely keeps a LB on the field and may create a mismatch. But I agree, he has done nothing this season to earn his spot.

 

Claypool: Teams are already trying to take him out of the game.

JuJu: He was in beast mode last Sunday, and is making a conscious effort to run people over and protect the football. He's Ben's woobie.

DJ: World class potential but somewhat fragile. Also has trouble protecting the football and has been known to drop an easy catch from time to time. If he can put it all together, look out.

JW: Very strong, can fight for and win 50/50 passes. My opinion is that his work ethic will make him successful. If other teams over look him, he will torture them.

RayRay: Very pleasant surprise. Speed to burn and has turned the kick return portion of ST's into an asset. I also appreciate the fact that Finchtner/Canada are finding ways to get him involved in the offense. The occasional short pass and reverses. He is going to break one; I hold my breath every time he starts up field. Spillane is a great story so far this season, but RayRay is my favorite underdog. I only place him fifth because he is still getting reps but with his wheels his upside is immense.

No one guy will ever replace Browns touches. As much as it sickens me to admit it, he is a generational player. But he was addition by subtraction. Ben doesn't have to listen to him b!tch and moan about touches, and no one has to be on pins and needles waiting for his next selfish stunt. I like this group much better. They seem to be of the belief that personal stats mean nothing if they don't win. I have to admit that although Brown and Bell were fun to watch, I'm enjoying Steeler's games much more without their bullsh!t drama.

 

Agree with about everything in the OP except not being thrilled with Juju at first. Thought he would be great when we drafted him.
Sadly, the greatest Steeler receiver outside of Swanny is about to put on a show with Brady in Tampa. Ben should have done everything possible to try and bring him back. Brady has done everything including hand feed and bath him to get him in his O. He even drives him to the facility (LOL) Tried on his old team and got shut down. So he moved to a new team and made it happen. Gonna suck.

 

Jeebus. That is ugly.

 

I'm starting AB in fantasy this week. TB needs him, the Steelers don't.