No one will argue with the Pittsburgh Steelers‘ ability to draft quality receivers outside of the first round of the NFL Draft—and that includes the evidence to the contrary with Roman Wilson’s disappearing act in 2024.
Arguably, much of the blame could be put on head coach Mike Tomlin for Wilson’s lack of success during his rookie season, but looking back at former Steelers receivers helps shed light on what’s in store for the young receiver.
Plaxico Burress, Santonio Holmes, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Antonio Brown, and George Pickens all had breakout years with the Steelers during their second season as starters.
Even former Steelers receiver James Washington, who struggled to live up to his second-round draft selection back in 2018, had his best season in the NFL during his second year donning the Black and Gold.
This trend, where Steelers rookie receivers take time to acclimate to the speed of the NFL, has worked in the past, and fans should expect big things from Wilson as the team looks ahead to the 2025 offseason.
