WR Roman Wilson

The thing with Pickens is we aren’t certain what his ceiling is because of the offense he has been in the last two years. I think he could be something special my concern is his attitude.

 

Smith-Schuster wasn't No. 2 going into his rookie season. He only started seven games in 2017. They still had Martavis Bryant. Also, that was during Antonio Brown's run as the best receiver in the NFL, when he was nearly impossible to cover. The Steelers don't have anybody remotely like Brown and, aside from Pickens, they don't have a veteran as good as Bryant was right now.

 

It may have been Bryant's first year back from suspension, but he was still an established veteran. Smith-Schuster earned a bigger role as the season went on, but they still had a veteran compliment to Brown, an explosive one who defenses couldn't ignore. Sorry, but defenses aren't going to sweat Van Jefferson or Scotty Miller.

Brown didn't just draw double-teams. He beat them routinely. He produced massive numbers despite all the attention defenses threw at him. Pickens isn't even close to that level, at least not yet.

 

ProFootballReference.com disagrees with you. They list Bryant as a starter for the 2017 season, not Smith-Schuster. There was certainly concern about him coming off the suspension, but he was their No. 2, and a more threatening one than anybody the Steelers currently have other than Pickens.

Also, Bryant played two seasons for the Steelers before being suspended for the 2016 season, not one. You don't think it is fair to say he was seen as more of a threat then than guys like Scotty Miller and Quez Watkins are now? Maybe Van Jefferson is comparable, but it has been two years since his last productive season, not one. He started nine games in 2023, but he only caught 20 passes. Bryant hadn't played poorly in 2016. He hadn't played at all. Jefferson was all but useless for two teams last year and he wasn't much better in 2022.

You are misunderstanding my point in the comparison of Brown and Pickens in terms of the overall passing game. Of course teams will pay attention to Pickens. Given the lack of any established threats around him, they would be morons not to do so. It is his production that is nowhere close to Brown's. Brown had already shown he could consistently beat double-teams by then. Pickens isn't close to his level yet.

 

Totally different scenario. The '98 team returned Charles Johnson, Courtney Hawkins, and Will Blackwell. Johnson was their first round pick in '94, and was in a contract year. He led the team that year with 815 yards receiving before departing to the Eagles in the offseason.

This is like arguing Antonio Brown didn't do much as a rookie behind Wallace (1250 yards), Ward (750), Miller (500), Sanders (375), and Randle El (250).

 

Actually, that's not necessarily what PFR means. They're simply placing whomever had more starts as the WR2. That year Bryant is listed with eight, JuJu seven. Bryant's game log shows he didn't log a start until the third game of the season, and was spotty for most of it.

 

What he did later in the season isn't relevant to the question of his status going into the season. He was an established veteran who had been with the team for two years, not one as Blast wrote, before the suspension. Also, he did start more games than Smith-Schuster.

 

Maybe so, but Puka Nacua tore it up last year as a rookie. So it is possible. He wasn't even a high round draft pick.

 

Yes, the immortal Will Blackwell, who caught all of 12 passes the previous season, kept HInes Ward down that year. lol

 

By all means, show me the post in which I wrote that rookie receivers can't produce. Don't worry. I'm sure you'll find it any day now.
My point was that counting on it i foolish, not that it can't happen.

 

That's not the point, but I think you know that. If not, if I may borrow from you, I'm sorry you don't see that.

Your arguments seem more a product of trolling than someone interested in robust discussion lately. Mac provided a simple blurb about how Wilson appears to have a good mentality when it comes to blocking, much like Ward. There's no reason to be talking about how much Ward played as a rookie as an offshoot to that, unless you're forcing the conversation back to a desired narrative, using a poor comparison to support its claim.

 

WOW, that was one heck of a lot of weapons for Ben.

 

Would have been, if we had taken him after his Junior year of high school.

 

OK, I know you know, but just to clarify, the 2nd group of receivers, lol

 

Funny Formerscribe has ignored this post....It's possible Wilson has an impact in his rookie year, the same way the 4 players I named had an impact in his rookie year in the last 15 seasons even if they weren't drafted in the first 60 picks

 

JuJu was by far the second best WR in 2017 in his rookie year from october to finish....Bryant was rusty like crazy in the first 3 months....He was good in december but before that,it was not good in 2017 for Bryant

 

It isn't a poor comparison. That Blackwell wasn't good enough or productive enough to keep a player that was ready out of the mix is part of why the comparison works. There was room for another contributor at receiver that year. The Steelers didn't think Ward was ready, so they didn't use him much.

My arguments are what they always are. I speak my mind and support my points. If people wish to argue, I attempt to show them why my points are correct. The only argument that is particular antagonistic right now is with one poster who gaslighted me.

 

The entire point of this discussion is what the team had going into the season, not what developed later.

 

Funny how you want to dismiss the facts that don't suit your chosen narrative. It does mean something that Bryant started more games. It does mean that they had a No. 2 ahead of Smith-Schuster when the season started, a guy who defenses had to deal with as a threat to help both Brown and Smith-Schuster. The Steelers don't have a guy like that right now. That's the point you seem to be avoiding.

Also, that you had your facts wrong does matter. That Bryant had two years with the team instead of one does matter. Now you want to make up how you think other teams saw Bryant in an attempt to bolster your argument. Bryant created matchup problems just by his combination of size and speed and had proven he could use them effectively before that season. The point was never who ended up with the role by the end of the season. The point was how they built their roster. That's where this started.

You still aren't getting my point with Brown vs. Pickens. It isn't just the ability to draw double teams. It is the production. That team didn't need as much around their best receiver because Brown was so dominant. Pickens isn't even close to that level right now. Part of the issue with the thin receiving corps is where the production will come from.

 

The examples you posted suggested rookie receivers don't usually make an impact. However, the college game has changed, and more receivers than ever play in a pro style offense. Roman Wilson seems like a mature kid with a diverse skill set, including blocking, so I think he has as much of a chance to contribute as anyone else.

 

The team had three returning receivers ahead of Ward that year. In the end Blackwell didn't produce, but was a second round pick in '97, so I think it fair to say they would still be giving him chances to prove himself. And, as Mac pointed out above, Ward's multi-positional use in college may have factored in as well.

If you like you could say they still had two productive receivers ahead of both Blackwell and Ward in a run-heavy offense that produced only 2500 passing yards. Either way it's just a poor comparison. Neither Will Blackwell's nor Hines Ward's lack of production from 1998 is going to shed light on what Roman Wilson is going to do in 2024.

This is denial. Your posts are littered with passive aggressive barbs, that at times get less passive if a person continues to debate you. If they lose their cool you actually gaslight them by then holding up the victim card. There are posters that have stepped away from the board because of your behavior. I've called you out for your responses at times for their unnecessary attacks. That behavior is on you, and is unnecessary in any 'attempt to show them why I'm right'.